Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
35th Report - Introducing T Levels
Published 27 Jun 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Introducing T Levels All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
There is a risk that colleges cannot secure enough industry placements for more students to complete their T Levels. Industry placements are a mandatory part of a T Level. While 98% of students finishing their T Level in summer 2024 completed a placement, colleges will need to find significantly more placements should student numbers increase in line with forecasts. However, only one third of employers are aware of T Levels and colleges face challenges sourcing placements in certain locations and for certain courses, such as engineering, digital and health. The Department has previously estimated that a shortage of teachers and industry placements would limit T Levels to 48,000 enrolments but is now confident this risk has been mitigated. For example, from January 2025, it allowed 20% of a placement to be remote (50% for placements in Digital T Levels) and recently reintroduced funding, available from 23 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, for small to medium employers offering placements or those offering health- related placements. The Department has trialled placement co-ordinators for some integrated care boards. It is having conversations with mayoral strategic authorities and recognises that Local Skills Improvement Plans are useful in raising awareness of T Levels. recommendation The Department should set out its plan to improve employer awareness of T Levels, capitalising on local arrangements, including Local Skills Improvement Plans and expanding good practice in finding health placements through integrated care boards.
From: Public Accounts Committee, 35th Report - Introducing T Levels (HC 822), 27 June 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-fifth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 27 August 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-fifth report from Session 2024-26
Published 15 October 2025.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-sixth report from Session 2024-26
Published 15 October 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with each of the Committee's recommendations on T Levels and gives target implementation dates ranging from autumn 2025 to March 2026.
- On raising student awareness and enrolments, it agrees and says it will build on this through the continuing 'Skills for Life' campaign and by improving careers guidance. Its plan will be "fully implemented by September 2029".
- On industry placements, it agrees that it "can do more" to grow high-quality placements, and "will set out further plans by December 2025".
- On how T Levels fit with other qualifications, it says a post-16 education and skills strategy, to be published in autumn 2025, will set out "clearly where T Levels will sit alongside other funded qualifications and their purpose".
- On college funding pressures, it agrees and has introduced "an additional temporary 5% uplift" to the T Level funding rate for academic year 2025-26. It also says it will continue to work with providers to assess ongoing costs.