Listen: T-Level awareness

With a chronic shortage of skilled engineers and technicians to power Britain’s industry, it is critical that employers get on board with T Levels and offer industry placements, to plug the gap and enable the UK to be a leader in innovation, improve societal and economic resilience and deliver on our net zero ambitions. A new report, Anyone for T? Awareness of T Levels in England published during Tomorrow’s Engineers Week (7-11 November), shines a spotlight on awareness of T Levels as a key pathway into engineering and manufacturing careers for students looking to get workplace knowledge while learning. The report also found that there is a huge knowledge gap when it comes to students, teachers, parents and employers’ awareness of T Levels.

The first T Levels were launched in 2020. They are 2-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and broadly equate to 3 A Levels. A combination of classroom-based learning and (a 45 day long) industry placement, T Levels provide students with the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills into practice, gain first-hand experience of the world of work and understand future career opportunities. The first cohort to take T Levels in engineering and manufacturing started in September this year, with some T Levels in construction now in their third year.

Despite the benefits of doing a T Level, 63% of young people did not know what one was according to the report from EngineeringUK.

Aston spoke to the CEO of EngineeringUK Hilary Leevers.

Photo by Glenn Carstens Peter on Unsplash