Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Accepted
Paragraph: 139
Employer interest in T Level placements remains insufficient to meet future demand
Conclusion
We have been told that demand for T level placements could reach up to 250,000 placements. The Department’s own research has concerningly identified that fewer employers were interested in providing T Level placements in 2021 than in 2019 (30% vs. 36%). And almost two-thirds (63%) of employers were currently not interested in offering T Level placements. This puts students at risk of having neither a T Level option, nor an Applied General option, which is a threat to the pipeline of skills needed by employers and the economy.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged concerns about T Level placements and outlined several initiatives to address this, including a £12m employer support fund for the 2023/24 financial year, a dedicated employer support website, and a service launched in November 2022 to connect providers with interested employers.
Paragraph Reference:
139
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
To support the roll out of T Levels, we are removing funding from qualifications which overlap with T Levels to allow T Levels the space to thrive and allow as many young people as possible to benefit from the breadth and depth they provide. The Government is putting A levels and T Levels at the heart of most young people’s study programmes because these qualifications offer the best progression for students. Ensuring that all students, regardless of background are best equipped to progress to skilled employment or higher education. Feedback from T Level students and providers has been highly positive. The first cohort on T Levels achieved an overall pass rate of 92.2% in summer 2022 and have progressed onto the next stage of their careers. The Government recognises the challenges that come with change, including timing. For this reason, the reforms are happening in a gradual, phased way and with significant levels of investment and support, including regular discussions with stakeholders to listen to their concerns. The earliest point the Government will remove funding approval for qualifications that overlap with T Levels will be August 2024—four years after T Levels were first taught (and eight years after they were first proposed in the Sainsbury Report). Level 2 and below reforms are being phased over three years instead of two, with first reform recently delayed by a year to allow more time to prepare. We have also provided extensive support to colleges to facilitate the transition to T Levels, such as online guidance materials, workshops, and webinars for employers to attend, as well as offering direct, hands-on support. We continue to do so. This includes a significant support on the provision of industry placements: • The newly updated provider support package supports providers in delivering T Levels, but from September 2023 will also aid providers in developing effective employer engagement strategies to aid them to source industry placements and engage with employers at scale. • Earlier this year, the department launched a £12m one-year employer support fund that will provide financial assistance to employers offering placements in the 2023/24 financial year. This will help with costs such as administration, support with training staff who will supervise learners or tangible costs such as personal protective equipment or vaccinations. • We have launched the T Levels and Industry Placement Support for Employers website, which can be found here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb The website offers guidance, case studies and information about T Levels, specifically for employers. • In November 2022, we launched the ‘Connect with employers interested in T Levels’ service, which enables providers to find employers who have expressed an interested in T Levels and industry placements. This service can be found here: https://connect.tlevels.gov.uk/start.