NAW: Celebrating T Level Thursday

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in News on 9th February, 2023

Be open to different opportunities, even if it is something you didn't think you would be interested in. It will open doors to more experiences.

This National Apprenticeship Week celebrates the value, benefit, and opportunity that apprenticeships bring. Today we are celebrating T Level Thursday!

In 2022, we hosted our first cohort of T Levels students. This started with Health students in May, followed by Business Administration and Finance students in October.

We have welcomed 21 students into our organisation for taster days or placements - four have continued the Mental Health and Learning Disability pathway for Year 2 of their course.

The value of industry placements are:

• Developing a pipeline of diverse talent
• Insights and skills for young people
• Building strong links between education and the workplace

Sharing the experiences of our students to celebrate T Level success

Brooke Lofty, Business Administration T Level student, explains T levels and what she has achieved since the start of the placement:

What is a T Level?

“A T Level is a new qualification that is career focussed. It enables students to get the most out of their time at college. It provides a solid understanding of your chosen course and a one-day a week work placement to gain as much experience as possible. Employers want people who have had experience as well as knowledge, so a T Level is a qualification to go for. The two-years of work experience you will gain will not only be what employers are looking for, but you have a solid understanding that you can apply that to your work place."

What is it like to be a T Level student?

"Being a T Level student means your options are open and have the capability to achieve what you put in. The qualification offers a range of different skills and covers a wide range of topics that will be very useful no matter what you decide to do with your career."

What is it like working in the Corporate Governance team at DPT?

"The Corporate Governance team has a really helpful environment, with a group of lovely people. I have learnt to do various different tasks in the last eight-weeks of working with the group. Over the past eight-weeks, I have learnt how to do minutes for a meeting, organising a shared inbox, Admin Control access, spreadsheets and general tasks to help out the team."

Becky, Business Administration student, supported the St Peter’s CofE High School Career Fair with the Physical Education team. Becky shared her experience of the T level and signposted students with general questions on careers in the NHS.

Olivia, T Level in Health, shares her experience working in the Learning Disability team:

“Throughout the two-years, T Level’s are designed to give you a head start for the future in gaining experience in the sector that you are specialising in. They provide you with 390-hours to complete within a work placement; this could be on a ward, in a care home, women's health, mental health, family homes etc.

"You will also be given a folder and a booklet of reflections to be able to reflect on your days' work as well as a booklet of clinical skills that you will need to complete and get signed off throughout your time there.

"A good recommendation is writing a diary of your day so that it makes it easier to write in your folder. This can be used for evidence at the end of the year and to look back on in the future.

"By being on placement was a huge eye opener to real life and to realise there is so much more to nursing than what you whiteness on TV. I am learning new skills that I can use later in my learning both in college and in practice.

"This is also the uniform you will wear for any placement.

"For my second placement, I joined the Learning Disability team in the hospital. At first I didn’t think I had an interest in it but when they visited my college and spoke about what they do it changed my mind completely."

What are industry placements?

• Time spent by a 16-19 year old T Level student learning and working in an organisation
• In a real environment – with an employer, making a meaningful contribution to the organisation
• Minimum of 315 hours and averaging 350 hours (approx. 45 working days)
• Occupationally-specific – developing students’ practical and technical skills

Why offer an industry placement?

• Talent pipeline for the future
• Fresh ideas from the next generation
• Good for your reputation
• A way to fill skills gaps now and in the future
• A chance for staff to develop supervisory and mentoring skills
• Build a more diverse workforce
• Improve the profile of your business

T Levels available:

• Accounting
• Building services engineering for construction
• Design and development for engineering and manufacturing
• Design, surveying and planning for construction
• Digital business services
• Digital production, design and development
• Digital support services
• Education and childcare
• Engineering, manufacturing, processing and control
• Finance
• Health
• Healthcare science
• Maintenance, installation and repair for engineering
• Management and administration
• Manufacturing
• Onsite construction
• Science

Subjects releasing Autumn 2023:

• Animal care and management
• Agriculture, land management and production
• Craft and design
• Legal
• Media, broadcast and production
• Hair, beauty and aesthetics
• Catering