First places to teach T levels announced

The first 52 colleges and post-16 providers to teach new T Levels have been named.

T Levels are courses, which will be on a par with A levels and will provide young people with a choice between technical and academic education post 16.

Courses in construction, digital and education & childcare will be first taught from September 2020. A further 22 courses will be rolled out in stages from 2021, which will cover sectors such as finance & accounting, engineering & manufacturing, and creative & design.

These new qualifications will have course content created by employers to make sure young people have the knowledge and skills needed. They will include three month compulsory industry placements to give young people the experience and wider skills they need to be ready for work. Standards will be assured by Ofqual and the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA).

Lord David Sainsbury, Chairman of the Independent Panel on Technical Education, whose 2016 report led to the current reforms said: “I am delighted with the excellent progress being made with the implementation of T Levels. For too long the only educational opportunity that many young people have had is to take technical qualifications that fail to equip them with the knowledge and skills that employers value, and that are needed to progress to higher technical education.

“We now face a major communication challenge, and all of us, who understand how valuable and important these reforms will be to the lives of young people, must now reach out to young people, their parents and carers, and employers, to let them know these changes are coming, and the exciting opportunities they will bring.

“The wide-ranging T Levels consultation sought views from across the world of business and education, as well as young people themselves. Leading employers including Lloyds, IBM and Skanska all responded to the consultation underlining their strong support for new T Levels.”

Content for the first three T Levels has also been published by the IfA.

Alongside T Levels and the introduction of more high-quality apprenticeships, the government is creating a network of Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the country to offer training and apprenticeships in higher-level technical skills - A level equivalent up to degree level and above.