£8 million initiative to boost T Levels skills

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton has announced a new £8 million initiative to help teachers and leaders prepare for new T Levels.

Developed by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), teaching professionals will be offered the opportunity to participate in the new T Level Professional Development Programme to prepare them for the new technical qualifications, which will come into play from 2020.

From September 2020, the first wave of T Levels courses in education and childcare, construction and digital will be taught in over 50 further education and post-16 providers, before a further 22 courses will be rolled out from 2021 covering sectors such as finance, engineering and creative design.

Milton said: “T Levels will widen the choices for young people, offering them more than one route to a rewarding career. T Level will equip young people with the knowledge and skills for further study in education or in the workplace.

“It’s a big and important change, and we know we have to be prepared if we want our technical education system to be first class. This new programme will help teachers to build on their skills and gain the additional knowledge they need to make new T Levels a success as soon as the starting pistol is fired.”

The ETF will work with individual providers to determine what specific training needs they have before creating tailor made packages that will build on the excellent skills and practice that already exists within the sector. Training is expected to be available from Spring 2019.