FErret is supportive of the idea that a vocational or technical qualification should include work experience. A real-life experience of what the future is to hold is crucial to preparing learners for work - particularly young FErret kits fresh out of school.

Trust those little tinkers at the DfE to take it a step too far. It wasn’t enough to announce earlier this year that work placements had to be a substantial part of the new T levels. Last week, they published a list of criteria so long it would make a Nick Gibb speech seem like an exciting prospect.

To be eligible for the funding the education secretary had announced in the summer, any placement must be delivered to the published standards and principles, be on average 50 working days in length and cover a minimum of 315 hours.

It also should be “occupationally specific and focused on developing the practical and technical skills required for the profession or trade that the student is studying for”. They should take place with an external employer on a site external to the student’s learning environment, independent of their fellow students and teaching staff.

But wait for it - the real doozy is yet to come. While the placement should be delivered within the academic timetable as far as possible, “in some occupations, peak times will either be seasonal or fall outside the institutions’ normal working hours, such as catering, hospitality or events management.”

This is starting to sound like a rather sizeable burden. Has any consideration been given to how learners will pay for their travel to said external employer for a placement? And what will a substantial period of “real-life” experience mean for learners’ benefit entitlements?

The guidance has left FErret with more questions than answers. Here’s hoping that the employers needed to make a success of this policy aren’t left feeling the same.

Share your gossip and scandal with FErret by emailing ferret@tesglobal.com