A new "technical baccalaureate" (TechBacc) announced by the government on 22 April aims to give vocational education a status on par with A level study.

Education minister Matthew Hancock revealed the new performance measure will be available to those aged 16 to 19 and would launch in September 2014.

The qualification would be targeted to students pursing careers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics ), service and creative industries, including retail and hospitality management, engineering and construction and roles in the sport industry.

The three elements of the programme would be a vocational qualification, core maths qualification and an extended project, which would develop and test students' communication, research skills and self-motivation.

Hancock said students who achieved the TechBacc would stand themselves in good stead to get good jobs, take apprenticeships or go on to further study.

The TechBacc represents one of the final stages in the government's work over the past two years to implement 27 recommendations outlined in Professor Alison Wolf's review of vocational education.