John Thornton, co-founder and Managing Director of Building Futures Together, joined BBC Radio Leeds’ Rima Ahmed earlier today (21 October) to discuss V-Levels, the new vocational qualifications the government plans to roll out from 2027.
In his interview, John talked about:
- How some students struggle in mainstream education and need a more hands-on, vocational approach
- The growing appetite for vocational learning, not only among those finding academic routes challenging, but also high-achieving academic students, as seen in our holiday programme for 14–19-year-olds
- The importance of equipping young people with the skills needed in the construction industry, which continues to face a skills shortage
- How Building Futures Together acts as a bridge between schools and employers
- The value of giving students the freedom to choose whether to pursue an educational or workplace pathway
- And why construction is a fantastic career choice
You can listen to John’s full interview with Rima on BBC Sounds (available for one month) – scroll to 2:42:27 https://lnkd.in/eSBncS5m
Please note that the recording is available until 119th November, 2025