22nd February 2024- T Level Newsletter
T Level Thursday- Thank you!
Thank you all for making T Level Thursday a huge success. It was a wonderful celebration of T Level and T Level Foundation Year students and providers. It was great to see over 50 events taking place nationwide and so many people using #TLevelThursday on social media.
Here is just a small selection of the fantastic videos that were created for T Level Thursday by providers this year:
- Weston College celebrated T Level Thursday by hearing from their T Level Alum Christiana, who “loved every minute” of her T Level.
- Head of study programmes Sam North talks about the benefits of studying T Levels at Nottingham College.
- Hartbury College used T Level Thursday to promote that they start offering T Levels this September.
Five steps to your future: how students chose T Levels!
When helping students understand how to make decisions for their future you may find these videos a useful tool. Hear from Dina and Katy (here) and from Joseph (here) about how they chose their T Level.
These videos are also part of a partnership with Snapchat and will be appearing on the platform to reach young people directly.
“Our T Level journey has been outstanding. Why wait?”
Ruth Coyle, Director of Admissions, Careers and Technical Education at La Retraite school in Lambeth, told Schools Week about her experience delivering T Levels.
Read about Ruth’s experience here.
What do we know about progression for the second cohort of students with T levels?
The 2023 cycle marked the second year that students in England with T Levels used the skills and knowledge they developed to access the right next step for them, from apprenticeships and higher education to employment. Find out more in UCAS’s article about the second cohort of T level students' progression.
T Level Registration
Are you planning to deliver T Levels for the first time in the 2025 to 2026 academic year? Make sure you register before registration closes at midnight on the 22 March 2024.
The registration portal and supporting guidance can be accessed on GOV.UK.
For those planning to commence delivery of T Levels from September 2026, a new registration process will open on 25 March 2024 and this will close on 21 March 2025.
Current T Level approved providers do not need to submit a registration form to deliver T Levels.
If you have an enquiry regarding the registration process, or if you want to confirm you are registered, you can check the GOV.UK T Level provider list, or contact the TLevel.Registration@education.gov.uk mailbox quoting your organisation’s name and UKPRN in the subject header.
Careers Guidance Grant Monitoring Forms
This is a reminder to all providers who received the T Level Career Guidance grant, the deadline for returning the Monitoring Form is 31 March 2024.
We would appreciate it if this form can be returned to us as soon as possible so we can review the recruitment activities you engaged in using the allocation.
You can return your completed form to TLevel.DELIVERY@education.gov.uk and if you have any questions, please use the same email address.
Financial support for T Levels
Last week we published the 16-19 funding rates for academic year (AY) 2024/25. As part of that, we also confirmed that we will continue to uplift T Level funding rates by 10% for AY 2024/25, worth up to an additional £42 million to the sector. This mirrors the approach we took in AY 2023/24 and reflects our commitment to support providers to transition from study programmes to T Levels and expand the number of T Levels offered, and students enrolled. This uplift will be reflected in the published T Level funding bands.
We also confirm that we will be allocating over £50 million of Specialist Equipment Allocation funding (SEA) in wave 5 to support T Level providers delivering routes for the first time in 2024, meaning that we have awarded over £500 million to providers through the T Level Capital Fund to date. Individual allocations will be confirmed to providers over the coming month. For wave 6 of the T Level Capital Fund we will be allocating further SEA funding to support providers delivering T Level routes for the first time in 2025.
T Level Question Time – 12 March
The next T Level Question Time is taking place on Tuesday 12 March (3.30pm – 4.30pm).
Have your questions answered live by an expert panel – including the following members:
- Vicky Turnbull – Implementation Manager for T Level Foundation Year, DfE
- Elise James – Education Advisor, and T Level Professional Development Quality Manager at AoC
- Joanne Philpott – Vice Principal, Weston College
- Caroline Wareing – Head of 16-19 and Progression at Blackpool and The Fylde College
Don’t miss out, book your place!
New ICS Industry Placement Network
Gatsby Foundation, in partnership with the DFE, has recently launched a new employer network to support those working within an Integrated Care System to access up-to-date policy information, best practice and guidance relating to T Level Industry placements. The Network meets quarterly, with regular Lunch & Learn webinars to support key areas of learning such as ‘Working with under-18s’, ‘Qualifications reform and its impact on the health and care sector’ and ‘T Level placement models’. If you are working with a Health or Care employer who may benefit from this, you would like to spotlight best practice from your employer partnerships, and/or you would like to access webinar recordings, please contact icsindustryplacementnetwork@gatsby.org.uk.
Connect with employers interested in T Levels
Add the Connect with employers service to your DfE sign in account today to ensure you can view over 120 employers from across England interested in T Levels. Find out more here.
Get help finding Industry Placements for T Level students
If you’re delivering T Levels in Digital, Construction, Management & Administration, Accounting or Legal Services and you need to support students to secure a placement this academic year, then our T Level brokerage service could help. Our external T Level ‘growth partners’ work with SMEs to support them through the journey of hosting an industry placement and can be a valuable resource in matching your school or college with an employer in your area that’s ready to offer a placement.
The brokerage service will be available until the end of March 2024, and we are encouraging schools and colleges to take advantage of this support if you still have industry placement gaps to fill this year.
- Contact eVolve Your Future (enquiries@evolveyourfuture.co.uk) to talk about placements for Construction T Levels or visit their website
- Contact My Pocket Skill (tlevels@mypocketskill.com) to talk about placement for Digital T Levels or visit their website
- Contact Supplytrain (hello@tlevelgateway.co.uk) to talk about placements for Management and Administration, Accounting or Legal T Levels, or visit their website
Advanced British Standard consultation deadline: 20th March 2024
On 14th December 2023 the Department for Education launched a 14-week consultation on the Advanced British Standard (ABS) – a groundbreaking new qualification framework for 16-19-year-olds. Your views are important, and your feedback will help us to continue developing our approach for the ABS and how it is delivered. To share your views, we encourage you to submit a written response as either an individual or on behalf of your organisation before the consultation on the ABS closes on 20th March 2024.
AoC Updates
T Level Masterclass: Crafting your Curriculum Plan
Date: Wednesday 28 February
Time: 3.30pm-5pm
Description: Unsure where to begin in planning your T Level? This event is your starting point! Join us for this insightful webinar that equips you with essential tools for effective planning of your T Level programmes. Throughout the session, experienced providers will share their firsthand experiences in the planning process, offering insights into how they achieved successful curriculums.
Booking Link: https://www.aoc.co.uk/events-training/events/t-level-masterclass-crafting-your-curriculum-plan
Provider Insight Day: Barnsley College
Date: Friday 1 March
Time: 9.30am - 3pm
Description: This event offers a unique opportunity for those currently planning their T Level and T Level Foundation Year programmes to gain valuable insights from an experienced T Level provider. In this session, you'll have the opportunity to gain insights from staff and participants who will also share their experiences in overcoming challenges. Additionally, you will also get the chance to take a guided tour of the facilities and see how they have utilised capital funding.
Booking Link: https://www.aoc.co.uk/events-training/events/provider-insight-day-barnsley-college
T Level Foundation Year Route Specific Focus Groups: Mastering English, Maths and Digital Skills
Date: Wednesday 6 / Thursday 7 March
Time: 3pm - 5pm
Description: These route-specific events will delve into best practices tailored to each T Level Foundation Year route and provide insights on holistic delivery. They also include provider-led breakout sessions for a detailed examination of the English, Maths, and Digital components within a specific route. This opportunity is ideal for those planning to deliver a new T Level Foundation Year route and is best suited for delivery staff such as Senior Leads, Curriculum Managers, and Teachers.
Booking Link for 6 March (for routes Construction and the Built Environment / Creative and Design / Digital / Education and Early Years / Health and Science / Sales, Marketing and Procurement): https://www.aoc.co.uk/events-training/events/route-specific-focus-group-mastering-english-maths-and-digital-skills-1
Booking Link for 7 March (for routes Agriculture, Environment and Animal / Business and Administration / Engineering and Manufacturing / Legal, Finance and Accounting): https://www.aoc.co.uk/events-training/events/route-specific-focus-group-mastering-english-maths-and-digital-skills-2
Awarding Organisations Updates
Pearson:
Pearson’s February E-Bulletin was published and included the following:
- March 2024 component results day
- Entries and registrations
- 2024 Provider Approval window
NCFE:
Approval window for NCFE T Levels opening on 26 February: If you’re planning to deliver NCFE T Level qualifications in September 2024, you’ll need to apply for approval via the NCFE website before you can start the delivery of them. The approval window opens on 26 February 2024 and closes on 28 June 2024. Please be aware that if your college has multiple campuses, you’ll need to apply for approval for each campus to deliver these additional qualifications. Similarly, if your academy is part of a Multi Academy Trust, each academy will require separate approval.
City & Guilds:
Approval support webinar
City & Guilds Quality team are hosting their final approval support webinar on Thursday 29 February. This webinar is designed to help providers prepare for their T Level application and gain insight into the process. Register for this session here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4071165439173663328
Preparing to deliver T Levels: watch the video
Earlier this year City & Guilds had the pleasure of visiting two colleges who were among the first to deliver T Levels. City & Guilds caught up with Mike Emery, Associate Director of Construction at Middlesbrough College and Tom Leahy, Head of the Department for Building Services at Oldham College to discuss how they prepared to successfully deliver T Levels, what they found worked well, and what they've learned along the way. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jE5YI7VaX4
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