Education Secretary Damian Hinds has confirmed that new T Level qualifications in Digital, Education and Construction will become a reality from September 2020
The move signals a major step forward in Hinds’ ten-year ambition to overhaul technical education. T Levels will be high-quality technical alternatives to A Levels, combining classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement – of at least 315 hours, or approximately 45 days – where students will build the knowledge and skills they need in a workplace environment.
As the first T Level providers start gearing up to roll out the courses from September 2020, the government has also announced a further £3.75m for 2019/20 to cover costs such as producing high-quality materials to help them recruit young people and published the details of how the new courses will be funded.
Education secretary, Damian Hinds, said: “Everyone agrees that a radical shake-up of technical and vocational education in this country is long overdue. T Levels are our chance to do that – offering young people high-quality alternatives to our world-class A Levels from September 2020.
“The second wave of post-16 providers we have announced today demonstrates our commitment to making this happen. They will play an important role in ensuring more young people across the country can access these courses and help develop the skilled workforce the country needs for the future.
“I’m also pleased to confirm today the details of how we will fund providers to deliver T Levels, and that we are making an additional £3.75m available to the first T Level providers to support them to develop and offer high-quality courses for every student from 2020.”
The first three T Levels for Digital, Education and Construction will be taught from September 2020. A further seven will to be taught from 2021, including three in Health and Science, with a further 15 coming on stream from 2022 onwards in sectors such as legal, financial and accounting, engineering and manufacturing, and creative & design.
The additional further education providers announced today – bringing the total number of providers to more than 100 – will offer up to ten T Level courses from 2021.
John Laramy, principal and chief executive of Exeter College, said: “Exeter College is delighted to have been selected to support the transformation of technical education in England, as an early adopter.
“Being a 2020 provider, and now, based on this announcement a 2021 provider, is great news for our students, employers and staff. T Levels align with our vision to be an exceptional college and drive a line of sight to industry, which we see as key for our technical provision.
“A world-class technical education system is a crucial ingredient in improving productivity and helping UK plc to compete on the global stage.”
T Levels will be backed by an additional half a billion pounds of investment every year when the new qualifications are fully rolled out.
