- Employers eligible for £1000 cash boost for every T Level
student placement
- Extra funding will help employers to continue hosting
placements while they recover from the pandemic
- Placements offer real career experience, providing students
with the skills they need to get good jobs
Employers will be able to claim a £1,000 cash boost for every T
Level student they host on a high-quality industry placement, as
part of a new incentive scheme
launched today (27th May).
The new technical qualifications - co-created with over 250
employers including Fujitsu and Amazon – are equivalent to three
A Levels and uniquely combine classroom study with industry
placements.
T Levels are a key part of the government’s reforms to
revolutionise skills and technical education, generating the
skilled workforce that businesses need for the future and giving
students the experience they need to progress into well-paid
jobs, further study or an apprenticeship.
Industry placements form a key component of T Level courses, with
students spending at least 45 days (or 315 hours) with an
employer. They offer local businesses an excellent chance to
nurture and build a skilled talent pipeline for the future, while
helping to level up opportunities as we recover from the
pandemic. Students gain vital hands-on experience and invaluable
insight of the world of work, setting them up for success in the
next steps of their career.
Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills said:
“T Levels are a game changer for young people, providing a
fantastic high-quality technical alternative to A levels and
helping to produce the skilled talent pipeline of tomorrow as we
recover from the pandemic.
“Employers are already recognising the value hosting a T Level
industry placement can bring to their business, helping them to
build the skilled workforce they need for the future. This
temporary cash boost will help even more employers to experience
the benefits, while also providing young people with invaluable
first-hand experience in the workplace.”
The incentive fund is designed to offer support to employers
impacted by the pandemic, to ensure they can continue to host
placements. Employers will be able to claim for up to 20 students
for the available T Level subject
areas from 27 May 2021 until July 2022.
The first three T Levels in Design, Surveying and Planning for
Construction, Digital Production, Design and Development and
Education and Childcare were introduced in September 2020. A
further seven will be available from 2021 in subjects including
Healthcare, Science and Onsite Construction and subjects
including Finance, Media, Broadcast and Production and Legal
Services will be introduced from 2022 and 2023.
The fund will complement the Employer Support Package already in
place, which provides support for employers to deliver
high-quality industry placements, through online guidance, case
studies and workshops and an Invitation to Tender will be
launched this summer. This package will be continued into the
2021/22 academic year.
Also published today is a new Employer Guide to help businesses
understand how to host an industry placement, including details
on what is expected of them during the placement.
This package of support builds on the government’s work to
transform post-16 education so every young adult has a range of
opportunities open to them, removing the illusion that a degree
is the only path to a good career.
, Education and
Skills Delivery Manager, Hinkley Point C Project said:
“T Levels bring many benefits to business and that’s why we have
committed to supporting T Level industry placements as part of
the Hinkley Point C Project in the 2021/22 curriculum year.
“We worked with our partners Bridgwater & Taunton College
during the pandemic to offer support to learners and we continue
to work closely with them to support both the digital and
construction T Level pathways we’ll offer from September.“
The funding boost comes on top of the £165m already invested
through the capacity and delivery funding in 2018/19 to support
further education providers prepare for the delivery of high
quality industry placements.
An additional £7m has also been invested though the employer
support pilot fund to work with employers to test ways to support
them to offer placements.
This is part of the wider investment of nearly £500m, that
includes capital funding to improve the quality of facilities and
equipment to be used to deliver T Levels, and investment in the T
Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer.
Notes to editors:
- The short-term cash boost aims to encourage more employers to
offer industry placement opportunities and put the building
blocks in place that mean they can continue to offer placements
in the future.
