Becoming a T Level ambassador

If you’re enthusiastic about the benefits of technical education, you can promote T Levels and industry placements by joining the T Level Ambassador Network. As a member, you’ll be giving T Levels your endorsement. That will help raise awareness and ultimately lead to better opportunities for businesses and young people.

Introducing the T Level Ambassador Network

The T Level Ambassador Network helps build T Level understanding and engagement in the business community. It has over 200 members who are are advocates for technical education and have a key role in bringing industry and education together.

Some of the network’s diverse employers flying the flag for T Levels include Fujitsu, DPD UK, Amazon, Cromwell Consulting Ltd, Brevitts Solicitors and Ajar Technology.

What does an ambassador do?

Using your influence and personal connection with T Levels, as ambassador you will encourage employers and young people to take advantage of the opportunities T Levels, and more broadly technical education, can offer.

What does the network do?

The T Level Ambassador Network brings together individuals who can advocate for technical education and the benefits of hosting industry placements.

Network Chair, Ray Olive talks about the importance of T Levels;

“Young people can bring a huge amount of innovative thinking, which is what businesses need to thrive. However, for many young people, finding their route into skilled work is hard. They don’t know where to start and which qualification would be best for them. T Levels offer that combination of practical industry experience, alongside academic development.

“Because they are designed by employers, it means young people complete their qualification and are ‘industry-ready’. It offers many more young people, many of whom have faced barriers to getting a good job, a route to a brighter future.”

Meet the leadership team

Launched in April 2019, the network has gone on to enlist an inspiring leadership team.

(from left to right: Ray Olive, Dawn Helsby, Danny Brett)

Ray Olive, Ambassador Network Chair
Assistant Director of People and Organisational Development at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT)

Ray chaired the national panel for the Engineering and Manufacturing, Maintenance Installation and Repair T Level, developing the content and requirements for this qualification in conjunction with a group of senior employers, the Department for Education and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Ray has been an ambassador since the Network was launched.

Ray’s experience of designing and developing T Levels has seen more than 60 young people so far gain industry-specific experience in a range of healthcare roles, from nursing to maintenance and engineering. UHMBT has further committed to offering up to 100 young people in each academic year the chance to work within the Trust to gain their industry experience.

Danny Brett, Ambassador Network Vice-Chair
Former Deputy Chief Executive and Principal (Curriculum and Quality) at York College

Danny has been involved with T Level development from the outset and has remained a key advocate for the programme. Danny has supported a wide range of regional and national events in relation to T Levels and in support of:

• multiple Local Enterprise Partnerships
• the Department for Education (DfE)
• the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
• the Association of Colleges (AoC)
• and the Education and Training Foundation (ETF).

Danny is also part of the AoC National T Level Strategic Leadership Group.

Dawn Helsby, Ambassador Network Vice-Chair

Delivery Lead – Supported Employment at Warwickshire County Council

Dawn has only recently taken up this new role at WCC, having previously worked at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College as a Student Employability Manager. Dawn joined NWSLC college in 2013 as a lecturer and was leading two teams of employability coaches and industry placement coordinators based at 4 of the college’s campuses. Building relationships with employers, helping students to find work experience and industry placements, developing their employability skills, and coaching students on placements is a key part of the college’s preparations for T Level delivery. Dawn has been a T Level Ambassador since September 2019.

Find out more and become a member

If you want to inspire and influence people to business and individual success, become a T Level Ambassador today. Email the Ambassador Network Team to find out more.