September saw the start of education in three new engineering T Levels: Maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing, Design and development for engineering and manufacturing and engineering, and Manufacturing processing and control.
City & Guilds won five-year contracts to develop these Level 3 standards in partnership with awarding organisation EAL. According to its industry manager, Robert Stott, some 55 colleges had registered to deliver T Levels, although as of mid-October he did not have any details of the number of students or courses actually offered.
The two-year courses are part of the new T Level educational framework for full-time vocational education, and complement both apprenticeships and A-levels. The first T Level student intake was in 2020. The courses offer a broader theoretical introduction to a subject than apprenticeships, and more classroom time too: 80% of the qualification is classroom, and 20% of workplace time (through a work placement of minimum 45 days arranged by the college), exactly the reverse of apprenticeships.
“T Levels are for full-time learners from 16-18 who wish to study in engineering in a vocational setting across lots of different pathways.
Possibly they haven’t understood exactly which pathway they want to go. Apprentice standards are very focused. This qualification is broad, but does offer focus into a pathway in the second year. It builds up knowledge and skills and competence in year one, and focuses on a pathway in year two,” Stott says.
From 2024 or 2025, existing qualifications on these and other topics, from bodies such as BTEC and City & Guilds, will be defunded if they conflict with new T Levels. This is to reduce the variety of taught courses on offer in technical education.
CONTENT
All three engineering courses consist of an engineering core, which is the main focus of the first year. Two exam papers form the bulk of the taught course: maths & science and engineering concepts. In the second year, an occupational specialism (see box, right) includes an employer-specific project to solve a work-related problem, the findings of which must be presented in written and verbal form (20% of the mark). Other elements include one-to-one support and extracurricular activity. The total course is 1,360 hours, compared with 1,080 hours of tuition for three A-levels.
Speaking of academic matters, T Levels’ maths and English entry and exit requirements have shifted over the past year. Stott explains: “When I first started work developing T Levels, the legislation was aligned to the end point assessments now [for Level 3 apprenticeships]. If you didn’t have GCSE maths and English, you had to [acquire them], to win the qualification.” That means a ‘pass’ grade at GCSE, which is also known as a Level 2 qualification.
He continues: “That changed nine months ago, with the previous education secretary who didn’t want that to be a barrier. From a T Level point of view, it’s no longer mandatory to have GCSE maths and English, but you do have to be working toward it, if you don’t have it already.” As a result, individual T Level certificates awarded will reference maths and English qualifications and other components attained, or not, as the case may be.
So much for exit. As for entry, even though City & Guilds writes the course content, it does not set the entry requirements – that is decided at a college level. So the story doesn’t end there. Stott adds: “For engineering, I don’t know of any centres taking on T Level students without a 5 or 6 [GCSE grade, which exceeds the pass threshold] in maths and English. Those are the typical entry requirements. That’s because they deal with Level 3 maths, and if you don’t have Level 2, it’s a big step up.”
He adds that the engineering curriculum of the three T Level courses above includes 90 hours of embedded maths tuition, plus maths in mechanical principles and applied maths. He contends that there isn’t time to include the maths A-level content, which would require 360 hours, nor would that be appropriate in a topic mix intended to be half theoretical, half practical.
Stott goes on to sell other aspects of the T Levels: “These are knowledge-based qualifications; they are up to date, validated by employers, and the technology is all up to date. They are engaging, and will set learners up in their next venture in life.” Progression options include employment, higher education, degree apprenticeships or even Level 3 apprenticeships.
In that latter case, would T Level graduates not feel they were moving backward, or starting at zero? City & Guilds is working to finesse this transition, he states, and in at least one case – the fabrication T Level – is looking to reduce the length of a follow-on Level 3 apprenticeship by around 12 months, although that is not yet finalised.
He states: “Where there is a mandated qualification within an apprenticeship standard, we will now look to do a mapping document, and it would clearly show what learners have covered and what they still need to cover as part of this apprenticeship standard.” For anything that doesn’t have a mandated qualification, centres will write a ‘skill scan’ document to identify what’s been covered, in terms of knowledge, skills and the areas, and what hasn’t been covered.
These progression plans are being produced as apprenticeship standards are revised, and over the next couple of years as the first T Level learners near the end of the programme.
Stott adds: “There’s lots of work going on in progression; we know it’s important to everyone; we want to ensure that no-one starts at zero.”
BOX: Still poorly understood
In a summer 2022 survey carried out for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, only one in five people polled had heard of T Levels. The poll “Public Perceptions: T Levels” found that even if people have heard of the qualification, the majority – 70% – say they know almost nothing or little about it. The survey found awareness was highest among parents of 16 to 18-year-olds, with 39% saying they had heard of T Levels, and young people aged 18-24 were the age group most aware, with 29% saying they knew of the qualification.
Professor Helen James OBE, chair of IMechE’s Education and Skills Strategy Board, said: “The poll shows there is still much work to be done to raise awareness of T Levels. We need to raise understanding among young people and their parents as well as among companies who could potentially offer placements for T Levels.”
According to the poll, twice as many people thought engineering would be better taught in a workplace environment compared with science, which they thought would be better taught in schools. It is hoped the placement aspect of the engineering and manufacturing T Level will give students an insight into engineering projects and the skills needed to pursue a career in the sector.
BOX: Occupational specialisms
A.Design and development
• Mechanical engineering
• Electrical & electronic engineering
• Control & instrumentation engineering
• Structural engineering
B.Maintenance, installation and repair
• Mechanical
• Mechatronic
• Electrical & electronic
• Control & instrumentation
• Light and electric vehicles
C.Manufacturing, processing and control
• Fitting and assembly technologies
• Machining and toolmaking technologies
• Composites manufacturing technologies
• Processing technologies
• Fabrication and welding technologies
BOX: MIR T Level industry supporters listed
T Levels are developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares learners for work. For maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing, City & Guilds thanks: Amazon, BMW, Cleasby Engine Services, Denby Pottery, Didactic Services, EU Skills, Ingenia, N&J Lining, National Skills Academy, NHS, Nissan, North London Garages GTA, RJ Power Group, RWE Generation UK, Siemens, SMB Group, Thames Water, Uniper Technology Limited, Warren Services and Xtrac