Give children their 16+ options earlier - students

T-level sutdent Freeyah wishes she had been given more options for her post-16 education while she was at secondary school

Students in Birmingham have said vocational courses and apprenticeships should have been promoted earlier in their school careers, as the government moves to transform 16+ education.

The group from South and City College Birmingham in Longbridge shared mixed views with BBC Politics Midlands on whether academic or vocational routes were best for them.

T-Level student, Freeyah, said she felt "naive" about her options at secondary school, with teachers keenest to promote A-Levels.

Part of the government's plan is to simplify BTEC and other post-16 qualifications to reduce confusion about the options.

Others in the group said a planned rise in university tuition fees would not deter them from seeking a place for their planned career.

Ministers have ditched a previous Labour government's target of 50% of students going to university, replacing it with an increased focus on apprenticeships.

Aidan, who said his choice of A-Levels was driven by his desire to study law, said: "We have to look at the career opportunities it gives you... you can then go into those fields which pay you a lot more money."

Adriana says she chose her BTEC course was because of the practical elements it contains

Despite the changes, students on a range of different post-16 courses voiced the hope they too would end up at university when they finished.

Current BTEC student Adriana said the reason she had chosen to study her course was because it contained more practical elements than other qualifications - but was still aiming for university.

"It has all the structures that I need for uni," she said.

She added she felt many young people ideally wanted to go to university but that it was not necessarily the practical choice depending on the course they wanted to study.

Many people now saw careers such as content creator or influencer as a viable way of making money, she said.

Nigel, a T-level student, is resitting some of his GCSEs, which he says have offered a second chance for young people who have struggled previously with exams

A-Level student Lily said she chose her course because of the small group sizes and more individual attention from tutors: "I've looked at apprenticeships as well, but university is definitely something I want to do," she said, as part of her plan to become a teacher.

Freeyah said she too was keen to follow on from her T-Levels with a university course, despite the costs.

"It's just one of those things, [my siblings] always make a point to tell me that the money doesn't start getting taken off of you until you start earning above a certain amount."