From Promise to Practice: Making T-levels Work

Education is the bedrock of any successful nation, and we as a society have a responsibility to equip our young people with the knowledge and skills they need to reach their full potential. 

The Promise of T-Levels

The introduction of T-levels under the previous government sought to revolutionise the way in which we do this. The qualification offers twin opportunities: for students, the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in real working environments; for government, the potential to plug the gaps in industry workforces and provide our young people with the skills needed to breathe new life into our economy. Five years on, my Committee has asked how close we have come to this becoming a reality. 

Current Progress and Key Challenges

We remain convinced of the potential benefits. Our report, published today, shows that seven in ten T-Level students go into areas related to their chosen specialism, almost half go on to paid work, and around 45% continue in education to study for a university degree. But it is clear challenges remain for the government to overcome before we begin to see real success from this pathway. In our report, we have highlighted the need for the government to inject new life into the scheme.  

It is clear from our inquiry that awareness of T-levels, and how they can set students on the pathway to success, remains too low. This is true both across the student body, and the industries who could benefit from providing the placements required for T-level courses. 

Our report calls on the government to set out how it will bolster enrolments and placement opportunities, to ensure the scheme achieves the economies of scale required for it to be a success. If the government hopes to achieve its ambition of scaling up of the number of enrolments from 25,000 to over 66,000 in the next four years, relying solely on word of mouth won’t cut it. A proactive campaign setting out how T-levels can enrich young people’s learning experience and building better connections with businesses is a must if we are to avoid losing the opportunity to properly ingrain T-levels into the education landscape. 

Integration and Strategic Alignment

It is no good simply shouting about their existence however. There is also a lack of understanding about how T-levels interact with other qualifications to enable students to reach their desired career. My Committee believes a concerted effort must be made to articulate a granular explanation on how T Levels fit into the wider landscape, so students have a clearer map to their desired profession. 

Though it was heartening to hear that the government has committed further investment into technical qualifications and colleges in the recently announced industrial strategy, I could not help but notice the omission of any mention of T-levels. This feels like a missed opportunity for the government to signal its commitment to improving the delivery of the qualification. 

Central to the government’s ‘growth mission’ ambition is its plan to strengthen sectors including digital technologies, manufacturing and the creative industries, all of which could benefit from greater engagement with T-levels. We must encourage employers to work with our young people to ensure our future workforce is ready to not only step into the current gaps, but to shape and drive world leading industries.

Teacher Recruitment and Support

Of course, these efforts will count for nothing without the support of teachers and education providers to act as bridge between the classroom and the workplace as T-levels are rooted in the success of these partnerships. My committee has reported many times on the issues schools and colleges face in teacher recruitment and retention, and T-levels are by no means immune to these problems. 

It is a sad irony that we face a skills shortage in the very profession required to provide students with the support and training needed to address this issue. It is therefore vital that the government works with schools and colleges to better understand the additional burden delivering t-levels may place on them, and develop a cohesive strategy to address this.

Conclusion

In education, as with many things, one mould does not fit all. Better integration of T-levels into our education system opens up new opportunities for students to broaden their horizons and gain access to the many world-leading industries our country has to offer. Yes, there are some hurdles to overcome, but if the government takes up the recommendations set out in our report, we believe this could be the start of a very exciting era in education for our young people. 

By Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee