Industry placement delivery approaches
Industry placements are at the heart of T Levels. The core principles are that the placement should:
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- Be with an employer
- Take place in person in the workplace
- Be organised in line with the normal requirements of the industry
- Enable the student to develop up-to-date knowledge and skills relevant to their T Level
- Last a minimum of 315 hours
Several delivery approaches can be used alongside these core principles. The aim of these approaches is to make sure that as the number of students choosing T Levels grows, employers can continue to provide enough high-quality placements for all students across the country and in all industries.
This page:
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- Explains what these delivery approaches are, how they work and which other approaches they can be combined with
- Gives examples showing how employers use some of the approaches, including placements that combine more than one approach
Delivery approaches that can be used with all T Levels
Delivery approach | How it works | Can be combined with |
Work taster activities | The student can spend up to 35 hours doing work taster activities with the employer before they and the employer commit to a full placement |
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Small team project | The student can spend up to a third of their placement hours doing a project with other students outside the workplace, under the supervision of an employer and at an external location |
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T Level pathway placements | The employer can offer placements in a wide range of working environments relevant to the T Level subject as a whole (not just the specialist area chosen by the student) |
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Part-time work | If a student does part-time paid work for the employer, this time can count towards the placement hours provided that the work the student does is relevant to their T Level pathway |
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Multiple employers (up to 2) | A student can split their placement hours across a maximum of 2 employers to help gain a breadth of experience |
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Supply chain and networks | All industry placement hours can be split across a maximum of 2 partners or sub-contractors in an employer’s supply chain or network, e.g. key stakeholders or delivery partners |
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Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) | A student with SEND can spend up to one third of the placement hours learning relevant technical and employability skills on the school’s or college’s on-site facilities before starting their placement with the employer |
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Students in Young Offender Institutions (YOI) | A student in a YOI can undertake their full placement hours in the institution’s on-site facilities, e.g. in the onsite restaurant or workshop |
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See Download 1 for details of each approach.
Delivery approaches that can only be used with specified T Levels
Delivery approach | T Levels | How it works | Can be combined with |
Route level placement |
Digital Engineering and Manufacturing |
The employer can host the placement in any workplace that is relevant to the occupational route of the student’s T Level, rather than in a setting that is only relevant to their specific occupational specialism or T Level pathway. |
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Skills hub and employer training centre |
Agriculture, Land Management and Production Animal Care and Management Catering (all T Levels) Construction (all T Levels) Engineering and Manufacturing (all T Levels) Health Healthcare science Media, Broadcast and Production Science |
The student can spend up to one third of the placement hours preparing for the placement in an employer skills hub or training centre, before coming on to the employer’s site |
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Hybrid (remote) placement |
Accounting Digital (all T Levels) Finance Legal Services Management and Administration Media, Broadcast and Production |
The student can spend up to 20% of the placement hours working remotely in a suitable environment, e.g. a dedicated office space at the provider, and only at the student’s home in exceptional cases |
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See Download 2 for details of each approach, including a list of T Levels to which each approach applies.
Examples
Delivery approach | Example |
Small team project | A small building firm offers a placement of 200 hours for a student on a particular build. Before the placement starts, the student joins a small group with five other students carrying out a project to renovate a building owned by the local council. This project includes a wide range of tasks such as bricklaying, plastering, minor demolition, general labouring, painting and decorating, and basic plumbing. It lasts 120 hours and takes place over eight weeks, with the student on site for two days each week. |
T Level pathway + multiple employer | A micro furniture-making business in a small coastal town offers a placement to a student on a Craft and Design T Level who wants to become a furniture maker. The owner can only commit to hosting two-thirds of the placement time, so the provider arranges for the student to complete the rest of the time in a furniture store nearby, to help build confidence and general employability skills in a working environment that is related to their T Level. |
Skills hub and employer training centre | An engineering firm with a history of employing apprentices has created its own training facility. Apprentices and other new recruits start their training using specialist equipment in a controlled environment. This allows the firm to overcome health and safety concerns around young people going straight into the workplace. The centre also provides training for students on Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels, including students in placements with other local engineering firms. The training takes place in a block of 70 hours, around one-fifth of the total placement time, after which the students complete the rest of their placement with their employer. |
Part-time work | An agricultural equipment supplier employs a T Level student part-time and converts her current working hours into placement hours. The student continues to be paid as before. The employer and provider agree which practical skills the student should develop during their paid hours, including some skills that wouldn’t normally be gained from part-time work. Shifts are scheduled so as not to interrupt the student’s T Level study. |
Supply chain and networks | A large manufacturing firm uses a chain of smaller, specialist component suppliers in the area. The firm arranges for their T Level students to spend time with two of these specialist businesses. This allows the students to undertake a wide range of tasks including basic cutting and joining of materials, as well as identifying components, tools, equipment, resources and completing preparatory checks. The placement time is split roughly 50:50 between the large firm and its two suppliers. As lead employer, the large firm retains overall responsibility for the student even when working with their supply chain. |
Hybrid (remote) placement | Employees in a specialist digital business spend part of their time working remotely. The employer is keen to offer a placement to a student specialising in business improvement as part of a Management and Administration T Level. They agree that the student will spend time in the office first to get to know how the business works, then spend around a fifth of their placement time working remotely from a dedicated office space on the provider’s campus. |
Hybrid (remote) + multiple employer + T Level pathway placement | A large national employer has offered a remote placement to a student specialising in investment banking as part of the T Level in Legal, Finance and Accounting. The time spent remotely allows the student to develop specialist skills in analysing financial information, applying risk management principles, and explaining financial products and services to stakeholders. To supplement this experience, the student spends the remaining four-fifths of their placement time in the office of a local accounting firm, developing general skills relating to the financial sector. |
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