New 'T Levels' part of Government plan to revolutionise skills and technical education

The new technical qualifications - co-created with over 250 employers including Fujitsu and Amazon – are equivalent to three A Levels and uniquely combine classroom study with industry placements.

T Levels are a key part of the government’s reforms to revolutionise skills and technical education, generating the skilled workforce that businesses need for the future and giving students the experience they need to progress into well-paid jobs, further study or an apprenticeship.  

Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham said: “The new T levels are revolutionising the way we train up the next generation of young people, linking education with business to make sure we create a workforce that has the skills our local businesses need. Because going to university is not always the right choice for many students.

"Incentivising businesses to train up the next generation is the right approach and I’d urge all local businesses to look into the scheme."

Industry placements form a key component of T Level courses, with students spending at least 45 days (or 315 hours) with an employer. They offer local businesses an excellent chance to nurture and build a skilled talent pipeline for the future, while helping to level up opportunities as we recover from the pandemic.

Andrew Stephenson, Pendle MP, said: “This is great news for areas like Pendle, where our industrial heritage and strong manufacturing base means we’ve always recognised the value of vocational and technical training.

“Despite having seen a huge boost in the number of apprenticeships since 2010, there’s still much more to do to showcase technical education as a route into work and a career. That’s why having T Levels as a recognised equivalent to A Levels is so important.

“I hope Pendle employers will make good use of this cash boost by creating new skilled technical job opportunities for Pendle’s next generation.”

Students gain vital hands-on experience and invaluable insight of the world of work, setting them up for success in the next steps of their career.

The incentive fund is designed to offer support to employers impacted by the pandemic, to ensure they can continue to host placements. Employers will be able to claim for up to 20 students for the available T Level subject areas from May 27th 2021 until July 2022.

The first three T Levels in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction, Digital Production, Design and Development and Education and Childcare were introduced in September 2020. A further seven will be available from 2021 in subjects including Healthcare, Science and Onsite Construction and subjects including Finance, Media, Broadcast and Production and Legal Services will be introduced from 2022 and 2023.

The fund will complement the Employer Support Package already in place, which provides support for employers to deliver high-quality industry placements, through online guidance, case studies and workshops and an Invitation to Tender will be launched this summer. This package will be continued into the 2021/22 academic year.

Also published today is a new Employer Guide to help businesses understand how to host an industry placement, including details on what is expected of them during the placement.

This package of support builds on the government’s work to transform post-16 education so every young adult has a range of opportunities open to them, removing the illusion that a degree is the only path to a good career.

The funding boost comes on top of the £165m. already invested through the capacity and delivery funding in 2018/19 to support further education providers prepare for the delivery of high quality industry placements.

An additional £7m. has also been invested though the employer support pilot fund to work with employers to test ways to support them to offer placements.

This is part of the wider investment of nearly £500m. that includes capital funding to improve the quality of facilities and equipment to be used to deliver T Levels, and investment in the T Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer.