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9 February 2023 - T Level Newsletter

This week's newsletter includes updates on:

Funding boost to support T Level roll out

The government has today announced a 10% funding boost worth around £30 million in the 2023-24 academic year to support the scaling up of T Levels.

The additional funding is being provided in recognition of the extra cost for providers transitioning from other study programme to T Levels. It will support them to grow their T Level offer and ensure students across the country can continue to gain the skills they need to progress in key sectors including digital, childcare and construction.

A new Employer Support Fund – worth up to £12 million over the next two years – provides support for Industry Placements, a core part of the T Level qualification. Both students and employers benefit from T Level industry placements; young people gain the industry-specific skills they need to succeed and employers shape their future workforce to meet the needs of their business. The fund will help colleges and businesses to build strong relationships for the future.

On top of this grants of up to £10,000 will be made available from this Spring to boost careers guidance in schools and colleges, so all students have a good understanding of T Levels and their benefits. The grants will help pay for in-house careers guidance sessions, taster days with employers, and the development of resources to help students understand the range of progression routes available to them on completion of their T Level.

T Level providers delivering courses for the first time from September 2023 will also soon be allocated a share of around £80m to help them to invest in high quality specialist equipment to deliver T Levels.

The funding announced today forms part of the extra £1.6 bn additional funding for 16-19 education announced at the 2021 Spending Review.

 

Updated T Level industry placements delivery approaches

On Tuesday the 10th January 2023 we announced new approaches for industry placement delivery. The new delivery approaches can be used with immediate effect and can be used for all T Level and Capacity and Delivery Fund funded placements. You can find guidance on the new approaches on our GOV.uk page here, which sets out detail on the new delivery approaches, which T Levels they are allowable for and which approaches can be used in combination. We are also running a short, optional survey which asks which of the new delivery approaches you intend to use for industry placements for current and future students. The link to the survey is here.

For any questions you may have on the approaches, please contact us via industry.placements@education.gov.uk.

 

Connect with Employers service enhancements coming soon

Further to the launch of the Connect with Employers interested in T Levels service, we are making a number of enhancements meaning it will be easier for providers to search and set up notifications for new Registrations of Interest.

Find out more about what’s coming soon here.

 

Destinations research (Gatsby Foundation with RCU Ltd)

Gatsby is working with RCU Ltd to collect and share insights about destinations of T Level students using providers’ existing data. The project aims to support your work building T Levels by: giving you a national picture of the range of progression pathways from each T Level; developing case studies that your institution may wish to use in communications; and also using the outcomes to give parents and employers more information about students’ progression into employment, apprenticeships and further study.

First cohort providers will receive a letter about the project from Gatsby and RCU Ltd shortly and we hope you are able to participate. The data collection method has been trialled with providers to ensure it is simple to use.

If you have any queries please contact RCU by email (destinations@rcu.co.uk) or by telephone (01772 734 855).

 

T Level Professional Development for Leaders

If you are responsible for curriculum development or if you are leading on the planning and introduction of T Levels at your provider, the Education and Training Foundation’s on-demand training courses for T Level leaders and managers will ensure you are equipped with the knowledge and skills to optimise your delivery and enable the best outcomes for your learners. These courses are fully funded by the DfE, so are free for you to attend.

You can access these courses here:

- Leading and managing curriculum change for T Levels

- Leadership and professional practice for T Level planning and implementation

Top up or refresh your knowledge by accessing these on-demand courses in your own time, at your own pace.

 

T Level Transition Programme: Review of Marketing National Technical Outcomes - Sales, Marketing and Procurement route

Reminder to register now via the online registration form before registration close on Tuesday 14 February, for one of the limited number of session places to help us finalise the T Level Transition Programme’s draft national technical outcomes in Sales Marketing and Procurement, to support progression to the Marketing T Level.  

This is an exciting and unique opportunity for those with marketing knowledge and T Level and T Level Transition Programme delivery experience such as Heads of Department, T Level and T Level Transition Programme Leads, Teachers, Curriculum and Quality Leads.
In February we will be hosting online focus group sessions of 2 hours in duration, to critique the draft national technical outcomes.

T Level and T Level Transition Programme providers are invited to participate in one session, the choice of dates is:

  • Monday 27th February 2023 @ 15.00 -17.00 or
  • Tuesday 28th February 2023 @ 15.00 – 17.00

The expert input of employers and education providers has been valuable up to this point in developing the draft national technical outcomes. Your contribution at this final review stage is important to ensure we have identified the right, relevant practical outcomes and introductory knowledge and skills that all students will be expected to be able to do by the end of the programme. 

Please get involved and have your say in the development of national technical outcomes in this subject area.

Do encourage colleagues in your organisation to register quickly for one of the limited number of session places.

If you have a question, please email the team @ TLevelTransition.PROGRAMME@education.gov.uk.

 

Reminder: Specialist Equipment Allocation Monitoring Form B due

This is a reminder to all providers who received SEA funding as part of Wave 3, the deadline for returning the Monitoring Form B was the 27 January. If you have not yet returned your form, it is important that this form is returned to us as soon as possible, so that we can review the equipment you have purchased using the allocation. 

Completing the form is a condition of funding set out in your grant offer letter. The form can be found here.

We will review your form and, should we need to follow up with you about the information provided, we will be in contact by 24 February.

If you have any questions regarding the form, please contact routesreadiness.te@education.gov.uk and we will be happy to help.

 

Post-16 Qualifications Review – New Approval Process and Criteria for Level 3 qualifications to be publicly funded from 2025

On Tuesday 10 January, DfE published details of the third and most substantial phase of the reforms to post-16 qualifications. Phase 3 of the reforms is critical as it is the route through which DfE will ensure that only qualifications that are necessary, high quality and have a clear purpose are approved for funding in future. It is designed to improve quality at level 3 to ensure the best possible progression outcomes for students, either into higher learning or directly into employment.  There are 2 key messages to note:

Firstly, qualifications in scope of the review, including those which have been assessed as not overlapping with a T Level, must go through a new integrated approval process in order to be funded from 2025.  The second key message is that the government has decided not to fund alternative academic qualifications in certain subjects. This is either because there is an associated A level, or because there is a T Level, and we want to ensure that as many students as possible benefit from these world-class qualifications.

We have also published a guide to the future qualifications landscape from 2025, which can be found on GOV.UK

 

Register for our Higher Technical Qualification provider event

On Thursday 9 March, DfE are running an event for those delivering, preparing to deliver, or thinking about delivering Higher Technical Qualifications. It will be hosted in person at UCEN Manchester and available online. The event will be an opportunity for providers to share information and good practice particularly around working with employers, developing curricula, and attracting learners.

Please register by Tuesday 28 February.

 

AoC T Level support events

T Level National Learning Event 2023 & 2024 Providers

National Learning Event: Birmingham

Thursday 23rd March 2023

09:30 – 16:00 / face to face

This event will support attendees to develop a strategic vision and plan for your T Level programmes, identify strategies to assess the effectiveness of your programme delivery and to network with Wave 4 (2023) and Wave 5 (2024) providers.

This event will cover different approaches to curriculum planning, using case studies and employers in the planning and delivery used by two Wave 1 (2020) providers.

In addition, there will also be a presentation on successful Employer Engagement tips for staff at various levels in the provider.

As a face-to-face event, there is huge benefit to attending to network with providers who are experiencing T Levels at the same stage as yourself and there will be opportunity to discuss you plans with different providers.

Target Audience: Providers who are planning first delivery of T Levels from September 2023 or September 2024.

Preparing to Teach the T Level Transition Programme 

Technical Focus Groups  

09.30 – 16.00 / face to face 

Monday 27th February – Suffolk New College

Tuesday 28th February – West Thames College

Aimed at: teachers, lecturers, instructors, curriculum leads, curriculum managers.  

The content will include: 

  • A detailed exploration of the National Technical Outcomes (NTOs) with a focus on the inclusion of the Route Based Project (RBP).  
  • An exploration of approaches to monitor student progress and support their progression to T Levels.  
  • An opportunity to network, collaborate and share ideas with others planning for delivery. 

Reviews from Technical Focus Groups which have already taken place:

  • A very worthwhile session thanks, generating lots of discussion points and ideas which I am exploring for our Transition programmes starting in September 2023.
  • Very informative. Knowledgeable delivery
  • I gained so much clarity in regards to the transition programme. Thank you.
  • Fantastic day – really informative, engaging and interactive. Can’t believe how much I have learnt and can take away from today, I am excited to move towards TLTP.
  • Great day for getting all the information straight in my head – especially all of the new acronyms!
  • Very helpful – great to talk to other colleges and discuss points and how it will be developed
  • Very well organised, well paced and very clear information
  • Very good delivery and nice to talk to others in the same situation and share good ideas

T Level Transition Programme National Learning Event for 2020 & 2021 Providers

National Learning Event – Online

Thursday 9th March 2023

10:00 – 13:00

The event will cover an update on qualification reform with an opportunity to ask questions to members of DfE.

Additionally, there will opportunities to hear from other providers sharing how they have approached English and maths (including contextualisation); how the new framework for delivery has informed ongoing programme review at providers and how the programme will be scaled up in upcoming years.

Although an online event, there will be opportunity to discuss ongoing plans and future plans with other providers to enable sharing of practice amongst providers.

Target Audience: Providers who started delivering a T Level Transition Programme in 2020 or 2021.

T Level Provider Insight Day – City of Liverpool College

Provider Insight Day

Friday 3rd March 2023

10:00 – 15:00 / face to face

An excellent opportunity for Wave 4 (2023) providers to benefit from a face to face visit with this Wave 3 (2022) provider who started delivering T Levels in September 2022.

There will be talks from senior leaders, curriculum staff and the employer engagement team and providers can learn from their T Level journey and the lessons learnt along the way. There will also be a tour of the facilities and a look at how the Specialist Equipment Allocation has been used.

Wave 4 (2023) providers can particularly benefit if they are planning on implementing the following T Levels:

  • Health and Science
  • Construction
  • Digital
  • Education & Childcare
  • Engineering and Manufacturing
  • T Level Transition Programme

Peer Learning Networks

23rd February – 22nd March 2023

Variety of times / online

Peer Learning Networks are designed to create a safe space for T Level Transition Programme providers of a similar type, or with a shared interest, to share and drill down into the individual challenges facing them, and to draw on each other's expertise to explore potential solutions.

Networks members also have opportunities to share and hear case studies and outstanding practice to date, as well as furthering relationships with other providers. 

Peer Learning Networks are attended by both delivery and planning year providers together. They are small networks so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

Target Audience: staff responsible for either managing the delivery of the T Level Transition Programme or delivering the programme.

Select the network you wish to join, according to provider type or theme:

Planning for Success in Maths and English

Webinar – Online 

Monday 27th February 2023 

15:30-16:30 

This Webinar will discuss strategies to consider in the planning of the T Level Transition Programme for maximising success on English and Maths. This event is aimed at English and Math Leads. Book here.

Peer Learning Networks

13th – 22nd March 2023

Variety of times / online

Peer Learning Networks are designed to create a safe space for T Level Transition Programme providers of a similar type, or with a shared interest, to share and drill down into the individual challenges facing them, and to draw on each other's expertise to explore potential solutions.

Networks members also have opportunities to share and hear case studies and outstanding practice to date, as well as furthering relationships with other providers. 

Peer Learning Networks are attended by both delivery and planning year providers together. They are small networks so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

Target Audience: staff responsible for either managing the delivery of the T Level Transition Programme or delivering the programme.

Select the network you wish to join, according to provider type or theme:

Reviewing your Teaching on the T Level Transition Programme

27th March – 31st March

Variety of times / online

Monday 27th March – Digital

Tuesday 28th March – Health and Science

Wednesday 29th March – Education and Childcare

Wednesday 29th March – Legal, Finance and Accounting

Thursday 30th March – Construction and the Built Environment

Friday 31st March – Business and Administration

Friday 31st March – Engineering and Manufacturing

This event is for those that are delivering the T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) this academic year (2022-23). The event will be delivered by Technical Education Advisors (TEAs) who have played a key role in designing the National Technical Outcomes (NTOs) that form the content you have been delivering.

Each event is route specific. Please ensure you have selected the correct date for the route you will be delivering.

The focus of this event is to enable you to:

  • Share with others your experiences of delivering the TLTP for your route and receive constructive feedback on alternative approaches; and
  • Review how you are monitoring student progress on the TLTP and their readiness for progression to a T Level.

Target Audience: Staff who are currently delivering the technical content of the T Level Transition Programme (for example, teachers, lecturers, instructors, curriculum leads, curriculum managers).

 

Awarding Organisation Updates

IfATE

The T Level in Legal Services has recently been approved by IfATE for first teaching in September 2023. More information regarding this T Level will be available in due course.

NCFE

Take a look at this month’s news update from NCFE which includes important actions on booking students onto their occupational specialism, updates on resources, engagement packs and events to support delivery. Read more.

City & Guilds

Summer Occupational Specialisms

Providers can now access the live OS assessment materials where they have active bookings. These are available on the T Levels Quality Portal, guidance on how to access these (and much more) can be found in the TQ Occupational Specialism assessment process guide. It is critically important that any provider delivering summer 2023 Occupational Specialism assessments is familiar with all aspects of this document and that it is used in conjunction with the live assessment materials. It can be found on the T Levels Resource Hub: https://www.cityandguilds.com/tlevels/resources#assessment-guidance.

Approval support webinars

The Quality team are hosting approval support webinars which providers should already have received invitations for. The first of which was held on 12 January with the second scheduled for 16 February. These webinars are to help providers prepare for their T Level application, and gain insight into the process. Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1028746387371945816

 

 

 

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