WHAT ARE T LEVELS?
T Levels are a new qualification designed to give you a head start towards the future you want. They follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A Levels. The 2-year qualification brings classroom and work placement together, on a course designed with employers and businesses.
HOW LONG DOES A T LEVEL TAKE?
Two years of full-time study.
HOW LONG IS THE INDUSTRY PLACEMENT?
An industry placement lasts around 45 days, undertaken as a block or as individual days. The specific length of the placement and when it will take place will differ depending on your T Level.
IS THIS THE RIGHT PATH FOR ME?
T Levels are ideal if you have completed your GCSEs and want to get the knowledge and experience needed to get a skilled job.
CAN I GO TO UNIVERSITY AFTER A T LEVEL?
Yes, you can. T Levels get you work ready, but you can continue studying with a higher apprenticeship or degree.
WILL THEY BE RECOGNISED BY EMPLOYERS?
T Levels are designed with businesses and employers, to make sure you have the skills and knowledge they are looking for in an employee.
WHY WOULD I CHOOSE AN UNPAID T LEVEL OVER A PAID APPRENTICESHIP?
T Levels give you the opportunity to experience an industry while you continue your studies, with the opportunity to specialise later. While gaining practical experience, you also achieve the qualifications needed to move into a higher level of study, if you choose to later. Apprenticeships are paid, work-based training for those who know what occupation they want to pursue.
Milosz - Digital Production, Design and Development
We attended The Maze Runner Competition which was a fantastic opportunity to attend. We had to build a Bluetooth controlled car, and we were provided with kits and instructions on how to make the cars. Then we had to insert code into the robots to actually make them function as intended. The challenge was to race against the other teams, then take part in robot wars where the last robot standing wins. Our team had the joy of winning both of the competitions and were able to take the cars home afterwards.
We then went to visit St Mary's University and Staffordshire University and experienced their brilliant facilities. This gave us the opportunity to explore our options for the future.
I have also had the pleasure of gaining work experience at Enable Infrastructure. In the work placement, we have been assigned 'admin' roles and have been assigned tasks every week. The first week was more of an introduction to the company and the office environment. The second week, we were tasked to try fix a laptop. There was a laptop which had a broken screen and we had to transplant a good and working screen from a doner laptop to the broken one. That went exceptionally smoothly and we managed to complete the task with little difficulty. In the third week we had an educational day where I learned about their system and their 'ticket' process. I went on a few calls with an IT worker where he explained everything. I then helped to solve those tickets and problems that other people had. In the fourth week we processed a leaver (wiped his work laptop, transferred his data into the company servers, did some admin work and removed him from the system).
I feel like the work placement is very beneficial to me and I really enjoy it .
This course has taught me so much, not only about the importance of being independent as a 16-year-old but also about the value of entering the workforce and gaining real-world experience.
Omran - Digital Production, Design and Development
Through this journey, I have learned to take responsibility, manage my time effectively, and develop essential skills that will benefit me in the future.
One of the most exciting aspects of my experience has been working with social media, particularly in relation to supercars. Being able to combine my passion for high-performance vehicles with digital marketing has been incredible. Creating content, engaging with audiences, and understanding the business side of social media has given me valuable insight into potential career paths. It has also shown me how dedication and creativity can turn a passion into an opportunity.
I truly believe that this course should be more widely promoted, as many young people like myself could greatly benefit from learning these skills at an earlier age. The first hand experience it provides is invaluable, and I am grateful for the lessons it has taught me.
Allan - Digital Production, Design and Development
The T Level Digital Production, Design and Development with its career focused course allows a change in pace within the normal academia.
The required work placement gives us an opportunity to gain real life experience within our fields, giving us an edge over other courses.
The knowledge gained from our course gives a more practical insight than the usual theory from other courses such as A level. The experienced I have gained from my placement in software gave me an insight in software development and the specific jobs within the field, enhancing my coding skills within different programming languages.
My current placement within Enable Infrastructures gave me the reality of working as an IT support, which I have previously thought to be quite manageable however, it goes into a wider range of different tasks from the normal IT ticket support to security and hardware management.
Our teacher Mrs Ay has also been incredibly supportive with both teaching us the required topics in our course and going beyond by also giving us advice into how to benefit from our placements and the reality of working in tech.
