T Level industry placements in Health and Care and NHS Trusts

NHS Trusts across England now host a wide range of T Level industry placements, giving 16–19-year-olds real experience while supporting services. If you are interested in starting or scaling T Levels for your Trust, this guide distils what peers say works in practice so you can:

• make the business case to colleagues
• coordinate placements across departments
• put the right support in place for mentors and line managers
• design placements that work for students and services

Build a strong business case

Placements are not ‘extra work’ – they are a way to meet workforce needs. Trusts report that placements:

• Ease pressure on staff: students take on routine but meaningful tasks, freeing up staff for higher-value activities.
• Provide a recruitment pipeline: many students apply for apprenticeships or entry-level jobs in the same Trust.
• Raise the profile of the NHS locally: by engaging young people early, Trusts attract future talent to roles often overlooked.

Read how NHS Blood and Transplant used T Levels to develop future scientists and free up staff time: Developing future scientists at NHS Blood and Transplant

Read how students enrich learning disability care and ease pressure on staff: T Level students enrich learning disability care | NHS Employers

Read how learners make a difference in residential care: Young learners making a difference in residential care | NHS Employers

Coordinate placements across departments

Start small but think wide. The most successful Trusts:

• Nominate a central coordinator (often in workforce/education) to liaise with colleges and allocate students to teams.
• Phase growth: begin with one or two services, before expanding.
• Consider the breadth of clinical areas, as well as non-clinical areas like estates, digital, finance or admin.
• Standardise the student experience: use induction packs, learner agreements and clear scheduling to maintain quality across sites.

See how Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust coordinated placements across clinical teams while planning expansion into support services: Delivering clinical T Level industry placements at Frimley Health

Support line managers and mentors

Day-to-day supervision is where placements succeed or fail. Lessons from Trusts include:

• Set expectations early: agree what students will do, what is off-limits, and how often reviews take place with schools and colleges.
• Build confidence gradually: start with shadowing, then progress to defined tasks that add value.
• Invest in mentors: staff gain coaching and leadership skills, boosting their own career development.

Read how York Community Diagnostic Centre supported mentors and gave students meaningful roles in patient care: T Level talent boosts patient care at York Community Diagnostic Centre

Read how former T Level students can become mentors and create a cycle of talent:           T Level students support a charity and create a cycle of new talent | NHS Employers

Webinar recording: Watch The role of the line manager and mentor – hosting T Level students in the NHS to explores this in more depth. 

Design placements that work in practice

Placements are most effective when built into existing training structures. Trusts that succeed tend to:

• Blend placements into apprenticeship and work experience offers, so students see clear progression routes.
• Rotate students across services, giving exposure to varied roles and pathways.
• Risk-assess roles carefully, ensuring tasks are safe, meaningful and achievable.
• Use projects (e.g. digital improvement, patient comms) so students can contribute and reflect on outcomes.

Learn how North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust designed community placements that opened up career pathways: Community T Level industry placements at North Tees and Hartlepool

Where to find out more

• Browse more NHS T Level case studies on the NHS Employers website.
• Access DfE webinars on T Level Industry Placements.