Recommendation 6

Various factors, such as teacher recruitment and awarding organisation fees, will influence colleges’ uptake of T Levels particularly given their wider financial challenges. The Department recognises the additional burden faced by colleges to recruit T Level teachers, especially given that T Levels themselves are addressing areas of skills shortages. It is working with industry to facilitate a teacher exchange programme and offering certain teachers’ financial incentives. However, colleges face wider pressures in recruiting and retaining teachers, particularly in specialist subjects, and other financial challenges. T Levels will be an additional burden for colleges. For the 2025/26 academic year, The Department has confirmed a 5% funding uplift for the additional costs to colleges moving from offering other level 3 programmes to T Levels, but this compares to 10% in the two years before. Colleges must also pay a set fee for each student to organisations that award T Levels. These fees increased by amounts ranging from 26% to 149% on six of its latest contracts and may increase further should student numbers remain low. recommendation The Department should: a. develop a better understanding of the T Level-related funding pressures on colleges, particularly the extent of changes in the costs (or fees) of awarding organisation contracts and recruiting and retaining teachers, and the potential impact of changes in these costs; and b. set out a workforce strategy for supporting colleges to recruit and retain teachers. 6 1 Raising awareness of T Levels Introduction