Serving the Teesside Business Community | 79
T TIME!
T Levels to turn
on the skills tap
Anyone for T? Middlesbrough College is offering T Levels
as a way for local firms to work with students.
B
REAKING into the world of work can
be daunting for both career starters
and their employers – and that’s why
experience is vital.
T Levels are just one of the ways
employers can benefit from taking on work
experience students.
The new qualifications, due to launch in
2020, have been developed with employers
to equip learners with the skills they need
to enter the world of work.
The courses, which will be equivalent to
three A Levels, include work placements
of at least 45 days – allowing students to
get essential hands-on experience in their
chosen industry.
Placements will feature sector-specific
learning programmes so students can hit
the ground running once they start full-time
roles.
With courses in industries as wide-
ranging as digital, health and social care
and construction, Middlesbrough College’s
dedicated extended work experience team
are keen to speak to employers who can
benefit from the new qualifications.
This year alone the team has filled
1,400 work placements across a variety of
national and local employers – including the
likes of Marks & Spencer, Beyond Housing
and James Cook Hospital – with more in
the pipeline.
National construction business Willmott
Dixon is just one employer benefitting from
offering work experience placements.
The family-run company partners with
the college’s specialist apprenticeship and
training arm, Northern Skills Group, to
deliver placements to learners interested in
a career in the construction industry.
Clair Dolan, community engagement
coordinator at Willmott Dixon, said: “This
is such an exciting and rewarding industry
to work in. That’s why we like to give
young people a taste of the many varied
opportunities in our industry.
“We want to inspire a new generation
to join the industry. By offering placements
young people have had the opportunity to
visit us or work alongside us on site and get
a flavour of what it is we do day to day.
“At the same time, our experienced team
members are able to act as mentors and
provide insight gained throughout their own
careers in the industry.”
Willmott Dixon, named fourth in this
year’s Sunday Times Best 100 Companies
To Work For list, has also recently been
awarded the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise
in the category of “promoting opportunity”
in recognition of its community and social
value work.
Northern Skills Group’s own work
experience team matches students with
employers to make sure work placements
are of maximum benefit to both.
Steph Coleman, executive director of
business and partnerships at Northern Skills
Group, said: “With the focus on hands-
on experience, T Levels are an important
opportunity for employers to shape the
way young people are trained to meet their
future needs.
“And for students they’re a route to
accessing quality careers in a range of
sectors – many where skills gaps have
emerged, meaning the earning potential is
improved.
“Students studying T Levels will also be
able to progress to higher and degree-level
apprenticeships or technical degrees.”
To find out how your organisation
can take on work experience
students, call 03453 404040.