Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Colleges face significant challenges securing sufficient industry placements across diverse T Level sectors.
Conclusion
Colleges play a key role coordinating and securing industry placements for T Level students. They will need to find more placements as student numbers increase, ensuring employers can offer placements but also that they have the capacity to source and oversee placements.35 The Department said it offers colleges £550 per student to help them arrange a placement.36 27 C&AG’s Report, paras 2, 3.2 28 Q 26 29 ITL0014 30 Q 20 31 C&AG’s Report, paras 15, 1.4, 2.5 32 Qq 6-7, 26-27; C&AG’s Report, para 7 33 Qq 49-50 34 ITL0003, ITL0005, ITL0008 35 C&AG’s Report, para 3.21 36 Q 11 11 In 2024, the Department found colleges were facing particular challenges finding placements across their health, engineering, construction and digital T Levels.37 The written evidence we received from the Education and Training Foundation raised further concerns across the legal, finance, and creative industries.38 Evidence from the Association of Colleges noted challenges across different areas, with poor transport links in rural communities making students’ travel to placements difficult or expensive.39