T-level work placements need to be more flexible to make them work for employers, a new survey suggests. 

In the annual Education and Skills Survey, produced by the CBI in partnership with Birkbeck, University of London, 19 per cent of firms indicated that all placements should be allowed to be delivered partially online, 39 per cent said hybrid delivery should be allowed where the job in question is hybrid in nature, and 26 per cent stated that the balance should be determined by employers. 

T-level work placements are a crucial part of the new qualification, with students expected to undertake 45 days at an employer. However, concerns have been raised around placement viability due to Covid, and many college leaders have called for them to be conducted virtually. 

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In a blog for Tes last week, the Association of Colleges’ deputy chief executive, Kirsti Lord, wrote: “In a sector where the majority of staff are currently working, and may well continue to work, remotely for most if not all of the week, it is very difficult to set up meaningful and high-quality face-to-face placements. To future proof the T-level industry, placement experience in this sector may need a tweak or a more radical change of direction.”

Employers ‘want more flexibility’ over T-level work placements

However, skills and apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan told Tes last year that providing industry placements to the first T-level cohort was an “overcomable” challenge despite the coronavirus pandemic. 

At the time, she said: “What people are perhaps missing is it is not just the technical work, it is the work environment, it is the networking, it is the ability to see all the careers within a workplace and talk to all the people about their routes into the industry. It is the ability to build connections, to impress, to get a reference - all of those softer elements are also part of this nine-week work experience. And I want them to get that because it is not just technically showing you can do something - that is almost like an exam.“

An Ofqual survey published at the start of this month showed that just 12 per cent of employers have awareness of the new T levels. More than 60 per cent of employers said they either had “no understanding at all” or “not very good understanding” of the new technical qualifications.

However, in the CBI survey 28 per cent of respondents said they have already delivered T-level placements and 50 per cent said they would consider doing so in future. 

Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director, said: “The pandemic has had a profound impact on our young people, reducing class time and interaction with peers. Firms have provided support wherever possible. And they intend to do more over the next 12 months.

“Many businesses are currently supporting T levels. But a good number of firms want to see greater flexibility in the system so they can deliver hybrid placements. And the government should extend the Kickstart deadline by six months to allow time to turn approved placements into real opportunities for young people.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “It is great to see employers are continuing to see the value T levels can bring to their business. The new qualifications have been gradually rolled out to make sure they are high-quality from the start, with new providers delivering more subject areas, including healthcare and science, from September.

“To help more employers find out how a T-level student can add value to their business, we’ve launched an employer support package and guide to help them to host industry placements. We’re also offering employers who host industry placements a time-limited £1,000 cash boost for each student they take on, to create more opportunities.”