Welcoming V-Levels: Opening New Doors for Bolton’s Young People at Genuine Futures
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A New Era for Education and Skills
In a significant boost for young people’s futures, the government has announced the rollout of V-Level qualifications. For many, this is a promising step toward a more inclusive, hands-on education system—especially for young people who find the traditional classroom environment a challenge.
At Genuine Futures CIC, we welcome this announcement. For years, we’ve worked with young people across Bolton and Greater Manchester who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), as well as care leavers, those with SEND, and young people who’ve experienced the justice system. Many of them haven’t thrived in mainstream education, not because they lack ability, but because they needed something different: a chance to learn by doing.
V-Levels align perfectly with our ethos. They’re practical, career-focused, and built to connect young people directly with industries that need their talent.
What Are V-Levels?
V-Levels are vocational qualifications designed to offer a practical, career-focused alternative to A-Levels. They provide hands-on training linked directly to industries such as automotive, construction, creative media, health, digital technology, and more.
This is more than just another qualification — it’s a recognition that academic routes don’t suit every young person. For many of the young people we support, V-Levels could be the bridge between feeling left behind and finding a future they can believe in.
How V-Levels Align With Genuine Futures
At Genuine Futures, we’re already preparing young people for the kinds of opportunities V-Levels will unlock. Our programmes give them the confidence, skills, and practical experience to take their next steps into training, employment, or enterprise.
- Automotive & Hands-On Learning
Through our youth-led car care enterprise, We Shine Any Car, young people gain real-world experience in teamwork, customer service, and basic vehicle maintenance. Working at our Young Futures Hub alongside The Scrappers, they also see how vehicles are broken, recycled, and repurposed — learning that nothing and no one is ever truly written off. - Digital Skills & Media
Through partnerships with Recycle IT and our enterprise programmes, young people explore content creation, digital marketing, recycling tech, and employability skills. This mirrors the digital pathways that V-Levels will open up, giving them early exposure to opportunities in a growing industry. - Entrepreneurship & Enterprise
From baking micro-businesses like BloomiesBaked to creative ventures like art and design, we give young people the tools to test out their ideas. Our Boss Your Future programme has already supported 50+ young people this year with mentoring, accredited skills training, and enterprise workshops. - Inspiration & Motivation
Our Restore Young Futures – Meet & Motivate sessions bring lived-experience role models into schools, showing students that resilience, determination, and opportunity can change the course of a life. For many, this is the first spark that leads them to take part in programmes like Boss Your Future or consider vocational pathways like V-Levels.
From Scrap to Success
Our partnership with The Scrappers is a powerful metaphor for what V-Levels and Genuine Futures are all about. Cars that others consider “scrap” are stripped, recycled, and given new purpose. In the same way, young people who have been written off by the system are rediscovering their value and potential at our Young Futures Hub.
Every car we shine reflects the young lives we’re helping to brighten. And with the arrival of V-Levels, we can build even stronger bridges from practical learning to long-term careers.
Why It Matters
Bolton — like many towns — has too many young people at risk of being left behind. The statistics show that NEET levels are rising, and SEND young people in particular face significant barriers. Without meaningful pathways, these young people risk being overlooked.
V-Levels represent a chance to recognise talent in all its forms. But qualifications alone won’t solve the problem. They must be backed by real-world opportunities, mentoring, and enterprise — exactly the support we provide at Genuine Futures.
We’re proud that Genuine Futures CIC, in association with The Scrappers, Entrepreneurs Unlocked, Recycle IT, Elite Community Hub, and the HM Pasties Foundation, is ready to help young people embrace this new chapter in education.
We’re now recruiting for our next Boss Your Future cohort (ages 15–24, and up to 25 with SEND). This fully funded programme provides hands-on training, enterprise support, and mentoring — the perfect preparation for opportunities like V-Levels.
👉 Register a young person here: Referral Link
Together, we can bridge the gap, reduce the number of young people being “written off,” and ensure that Bolton’s next generation has the tools, skills, and belief they need to thrive.
Because no young person is scrap. Every young person has value. And with the right support — they can shine.