T-Levels have launched in England

Students at selected colleges and schools across England are beginning their two-year, post-GCSE courses, known as T-Levels, in Digital, Construction, or Education and Childcare this September. These are just the start of 24 T-Levels that will roll out over the coming years in subjects as diverse as Accounting, Engineering and Healthcare.

Designed by employers for employers, 1 T-Level is equivalent to 3 A-Levels. They are robust qualifications that offers students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days), so that graduates emerge with the knowledge and practical skills that businesses need plus real experience of being in the workplace. They are based on the world’s best technical education systems to address the skills gap and build a workforce fit for whatever the future brings.

John Bailey, NAS Executive Board Member and Director of the Benbow Group, said: “I think this is a good initiative for construction, and for shopfitting and fit-out too. It will bring more academic students into the frame in preparation for middle management training such as draughtsmen, estimators, and contracts managers. The historic traditional route has always been training and promotion from trade craft-based apprentices, but in recent years and with more technology involved, that has been failing, so this provides a positive alternative.”

T-Level graduates will have opportunities to move straight into work, to further study or an apprenticeship. Find out more about T Levels at www.tlevels.gov.uk.

Do you feel T-Levels could be what our industry needs to bridge the skills gap? Share your thoughts over on our Forum.