Bayleigh Devane

T Levels are a new qualification offered as an equal alternative to completing three A Levels. The two-year courses have been developed in collaboration with businesses and employers so that the programme meets industry needs and effectively prepares students for the world of work. Not only will they receive classroom learning, they will also gain on-the-job experience through an industry placement of at least 315 hours.

The courses are expected to be rolled out to colleges in September this year covering 25 subject areas, including: animal care and management, hair, beauty and aesthetics, as well as legal, and onsite construction. They present great opportunities for those who wish for a clear trajectory into their careers, but questions about the readiness of T Levels are circulating amongst colleges and education providers.

The main benefit to students is the compulsory work placement taken alongside their studies as it presents a chance to gain first-hand experience in their chosen career, which they may not otherwise have access to. Students will not only have the learning experience A Levels offer but will also be able to implement what they study in a real work environment. Work experience is all the more important in pursuing a career and to introduce this at an early age is a unique opportunity, especially because the industry placements are significantly longer than traditional work experience.

However, there are a few challenges which need to be ironed out before September. This includes the availability of work for students in rural and coastal areas of the country where placements are limited. This can make it difficult to accommodate everyone who wishes to undertake a T Level course, especially if businesses in the area are small or transport links are inadequate.  Consequently, the issue creates an unfair advantage for students who live in populated cities or areas, meaning that the government needs to ensure that everyone who undertakes the T Level course is provided with a work placement matched with their desired subject. They are yet to announce how they are going to achieve this, and with the new course set to be introduced this year, it is important that these concerns are resolved as soon as possible.

Nonetheless, the prospect of a work placement presents benefits for employers as well as students as it gives them the chance to ensure that young people are developing the skills, behaviours and knowledge that their industry needs. The work placement also brings new ideas to the table; provides extra resources for businesses; develops employees’ management skills, especially with younger people; and aids recruitment for entry-level jobs.

This is greatly valuable for businesses and students alike, but it ignores a crucial concern: there is no guarantee that employers will use T Levels for additional employment in the first place, despite its benefits. Industry placements are a major ask and employers are still becoming accustomed to the requirements of the levy and the associated apprenticeship reforms. Many are also being bombarded with uncoordinated requests from schools, colleges and universities to provide work experience opportunities for their students. Therefore, there is no guarantee that businesses, no matter how limited they are in the area, will agree to offer extra work to T Level students. Ensuring that everyone who enrols onto a T Level course receives the renowned work placement is a much bigger challenge than it initially seems, and the government needs to set out how they can ensure that it is overcome.

Young people may also refrain from taking T Levels if its reputation is not seen as equal to A Levels. It is important that they are considered to be as respectable as each other, but two different routes: academic and vocational. This would allow students who are not suited to the academic route to still receive the same level of opportunity in the future. The work placement is a great reflection of this as it is not a compulsory part of A Levels and therefore gives students a different set of skills. When T Levels were announced, the government used terminology such as the ‘high quality work placement’ and students ‘successfully completing a work placement¹. Such language helps to build the desired reputation of T Levels and suggests that they will be of high standard.

Nevertheless, this creates a considerable amount of ambiguity as there needs to be clarification on what constitutes a ‘high quality’ and ‘successful’ work placement. This would allow colleges and businesses to meet a clear standard for students and allow them to become adequately prepared for the working world after their course. Doing so would make the new qualification all the more desirable to potential students as it sets out exactly what they will receive from their enrolment.

This also needs to be reflected in what opportunities are offered to students once they have completed their course. Clearly, T Levels provide a strong trajectory of development for future careers and the new qualification can equip students with valuable connections and skills to go into employment. However, questions have arisen surrounding those who may not wish to go directly into employment and would rather further their studies through higher education.

Universities UK, ‘the voice of universities’, says that they are ‘generally supportive of the government’s reforms to technical education’². In addition, some of the providers that FE Week spoke to have welcomed the allocation of UCAS points for T Levels. This would allow assessment results to be used in support of future applications for higher education courses, if desired³. However, Universities UK still holds some reservations about whether students will be given ‘sufficient information, advice and guidance to allow them to make well-informed education choices’⁴.

Additionally, universities have been given the freedom to decide whether they would like to accept the qualifications at all. Russell Group universities have already expressed reservations and are questioning the types of courses T Level students can progress onto⁵. This could impact the decisions other universities make about T Levels, meaning a university degree may not be an easy option for students who chose to undertake them. Consequently, this could create an inferior reputation for the new qualification, putting its popularity at risk.

T Levels are set to be a widely respected qualification of which colleges and education providers are showing great enthusiasm for. The industry placement is an especially unique selling point which can prove advantageous for both the students and employers. But despite the qualifications’ immense potential, there are still a few problems which need to be ironed out by the government. It needs to be made clear what the qualification will provide all students with, not just those with an abundance of businesses to choose from. Universities also need to start stating whether they would consider T Levels as an entry requirement and if so, for which courses, to allow students to make well-informed decisions before September.

Once this has happened, T Levels will present a great opportunity for many students across the country and reflect a clear effort to adapt to the needs of those within younger generations who do not feel that A Levels are the correct route for them.

 

¹ T Levels Industry Placements: Update on delivery models and support, May 2019

² Universities UK T Levels Consultation Response, 2018

³ FE Week: T Levels: positive preparations continue but challenged remain, December 2019

⁴ Universities UK T Levels Consultation Response, 2018

⁵ iNews: Russell Group universities cast doubt on whether they will accept T-Levels, September

For decades, the further education sector has considered how to develop the reputation of the vocational route (such as apprenticeships and jobs) so they are perceived as equal in respectability to the academic route (university). Although the vocational route is becoming all the more popular as an alternative to a higher education degree, there are many misconceptions surrounding apprenticeships. Research shows that 11% of young people believe apprenticeships have a bad reputation for being low skilled, and 53% said they had never considered one¹.

This is despite highly-regarded industries, such as banking, engineering and legal, currently offering young people the chance to undertake a paid, full-time career immediately after they leave school or college. Such opportunities seem to be a reflection of how the economic climate is growing in favour of those who pursue work experience over university qualifications, as less than a third of job roles are expected to be graduate positions by 2022². Although these offers are increasing, research by City and Guilds shows that over two-thirds of young people are planning on going to university, with a third of those not knowing what they will study³. So why do we, as a society, place so much importance on the prestige of a degree rather than learning on-the-job experience, even if the economic climate suggests otherwise?

University does come with many benefits, which is not just about employability, including: in-depth study of an academic subject; the opportunity to pursue a career in research; higher graduate salaries in certain industries; learning to become independent; as well as cultural and social familiarities. The academic route does give young people a different set of experiences for their progression, but this does not necessarily make it superior. A key objective of apprenticeships and initial employment is to shape young people into skilled workers for the economy and their respective industry. On the other hand, a higher education degree can provide students with a set of strong transferable skills for a range of careers, whilst also maintaining an established knowledge of their subject.

Additionally, the social and cultural value applied to formal education does not seem to be as applicable to vocational routes. But this is something the government has been working to change during the last few years. There have been huge strides in reforming apprenticeship programmes since 2006, when the Leitch Review was created to boost apprenticeships to 500,000 a year, which the Government has now increased to 3 million by the end of this year. Since then, there have been drastic funding changes, including a £25 million Higher Apprenticeship Fund in 2011, and new minimum standards which mean low-level courses cannot be labelled as an apprenticeship.

As a result, a variation of qualification counterparts has been made available, and so people can now complete apprenticeships equivalent to 5 GCSE’s all the way up to a degree. Apprenticeships have become all the more respectable as they are accessible to people of a variety of ages and skills, which can give unprecedented opportunities to those who wish to undertake them. This change in standard and opportunity can most clearly be seen in employers’ views as in 2014, 82% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with the apprenticeship programme, but that figure has since increased to 90%⁴. In fact, the experience employees gain from completing apprenticeships is held in high regard by many businesses, some even more so than degrees. Those who opt to study for a level 5 higher apprenticeship will earn an average of £1.5million during the course of their career, almost £52,000 more than graduates from non-elite universities⁵.            

That being said, both methods of study are sought after by employers. University is valued for the transferable skills and in-depth knowledge it provides, while apprenticeships are respected for their practical nature and real-life work experience opportunities. An increasing number of organisations are offering apprenticeship schemes as they begin to view this method of training as a viable alternative to a university degree. Nonetheless, educated graduates are in high demand and this trend is set to continue in the foreseeable future.

The best route is generally dependent on the person and their aspirations: does their desired career require a university degree? Does that person enjoy studying and research or are they more practical and hands-on? There is no right or wrong decision and so it is important that colleges make students aware that both options are as viable as each other, enforcing the fact that a university degree may not be suited to every student despite the prestigious weight it holds.

 

¹Investors in People: What do young people really think about apprenticeships

²The Guardian: What is better for job prospects: university of apprenticeships?

³City and Guilds: Great Expectations – Teenagers’ career aspirations versus the reality of the UK jobs market

⁴The Open University: The changing face of apprenticeships

⁵Prospects Should I go to university or do an apprenticeship?