The voice of business in the Tees region | 77
Help T Levels
take off in Why your business
Tees Valley should get on board
S
o, you’ve heard the term ‘T Levels’
but you’re not sure exactly what
they are - or why you or your
business should even care?
As the only T Levels provider in the Tees
Valley, Middlesbrough College has a unique
offering – providing employment-focused
learning for school leavers who are looking
to learn new skills.
Combine that with dedicated on the
job training and you’ve got a highly-skilled
candidate ready to enter the workforce or
move up in their career.
That’s exactly what T Levels do.
The new technical 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.
This is where the real opportunity comes
for you and your business.
T Levels allow businesses to shape the
way young people are trained to meet their
future needs and Middlesbrough College is
calling on the region’s employers to support
the talent of tomorrow.
With courses in industries as wide-
ranging as computing, engineering,
health and social care and construction,
businesses can tap into the specialist
training and engage their future workforce
from an early stage in their career.
Already a success and engaging
ambitious learners, this year’s pilot
programme will see more than 400
students take on T Levels.
Middlesbrough College’s dedicated
work experience team is keen to speak to
employers who can benefit from the new
qualifications.
The college and its training and
apprenticeship arm, Northern Skills Group,
works with more than 2,000 employers in
the North-East and Yorkshire to deliver more
than 100 types of programmes – and yours
could be next to benefit.
One local business already taking
advantage of the pilot scheme and
delivering placements to learners interested
in a career in health and care is Redcar
Education and Development (RED) – a day
service provider for people with learning
disabilities.
Owner and manager Janet Longden said:
“There is only so much you can learn in a
classroom environment which is why it’s
so important to give young people these
opportunities to learn on the job – especially
in environments like ours which can be
daunting if you don’t know what to expect.
“The students have been great and are
always eager to learn and ask questions –
it’s never felt like a burden and the support
from Middlesbrough College has made
the programme easy to implement and
manage.
“Our team has loved being part of the T
Levels pilot and we can’t wait to welcome
more students on placement.”
Katharine Hawking, industry placement
manager at Middlesbrough College,
explained: “T Levels address the pain points
that employers report - including lack of
hands on experience.
“They offer a unique opportunity for
businesses to shape the way people are
trained in collaboration with the excellent
education providers on the doorstep.
“The qualifications build on the idea of
work experience by inviting learners to fully
integrate themselves into the business –
in turn, giving them more time to master
essential skills and competencies.”
Courses are delivered by Middlesbrough
College’s expert team of tutors, all of whom
have industry backgrounds.
The college is home to unrivalled training
facilities, including the £20m STEM Training
Centre, a Health and Care Ward and a
dedicated digital hub, MC Digital.
As well as delivering T Levels, the college
is also proud to be in the final phase of
being awarded IOT status in partnership
with New College Durham, Newcastle
University and Nissan, and will be the
dedicated technical training hub for higher
skills in the Tees Valley.
To find out how your business could take
advantage of T Levels, get in touch by
emailing [email protected].