One T level has been removed from the subject list and two others have been delayed by a year.
According to the Department for Education’s website, the T level in cultural, heritage and visitor attractions has been removed from the list of T levels subjects, while the legal and human resources T levels have been moved from being due to start in autumn 2022 to autumn 2023.
The first three T levels in design, surveying and planning for construction, digital production, design and development and education and childcare will be taught from September 2020 with more rolled out gradually between 2021 and 2023.
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‘Insufficient demand’
The government said the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education had concluded that there was “insufficient employer demand” to warrant development of a T level in CHVA. “As well as viability and deliverability concerns, the T level employer panel raised concerns that the level 3 standards in scope for the T level did not accurately reflect positions found in industry. They also shared concerns that most organisations tend to recruit individuals with graduate or post-graduate degrees.”
The government has also announced that the legal and human resources T levels will be postponed from autumn 2022 to 2023. This was to ensure that the awarding organisations were able to provide the level of quality necessary for “a world class technical education system”.
“The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education assessed the bids put forward to develop the legal and HR T levels and judged that these did not meet the minimum quality standards. They will therefore not be awarding contracts for these T levels in the autumn. The institute has taken the decision to postpone the legal and HR T levels until 2023.”
The government added that although it was “disappointed that there will be no legal or HR T levels in 2022, we agree with the institute’s decision to prioritise upholding the quality of the T levels and postpone the delivery of these T levels. The institute intends to engage with AOs over the summer with a view to increasing competition for these T levels before wave 4 is launched.”
Last week, apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan announced a new package of support to help employers and FE providers deliver T-level industry placements.
A spokesperson for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education said: “The institute has stopped development of the cultural heritage and visitor attraction (CHVA) T level. The decision was taken after our research found there was insufficient employer demand. Employers that were consulted felt that the management and administration T level would be well placed to develop the skills that are relevant to many occupations within the sector.”
The spokesperson added: “We assessed bids from awarding organisations to develop T levels for delivery from 2022, but none were successful for legal or human resources. The institute has informed bidders of the decision and postponed their delivery to 2023 pending a renewed procurement process.”
