A national rollout of special coordinators to match T Level students with work placements in the NHS is being considered by the government.
An early engagement notice has been launched by the Department for Education to gauge interest in expanding a two-year NHS regional industry placement coordinator pilot that has run since 2023.
It would allow NHS coordinators to act as “ambassadors for T Levels” and support non-participating employers in England, such as ambulance services and GP surgeries, to offer the mandatory 45-day industry placements.
It’s unclear how much the department would spend on the scheme.
The placement process within England’s biggest employer could alleviate strains on colleges that have complained of limited numbers of NHS industry placements for T Level students, particularly in health-related subjects.
Jess Barwell, assistant principal for healthcare and business at Middlesbrough College, said: “T Level students are expressing great enthusiasm for the opportunity to secure placements within the NHS.
“However, the reality is there are not enough placement opportunities available for those studying T Levels in health.
“Currently, only a small number of learners are able to access placements within NHS trusts, with many being placed in care home settings. This is not always the preferred environment for students who are keen to gain experience in a variety of NHS specialisms.”
Around 1,600 students started on health and science T Levels when the courses launched in 2021-22 but only 1,109 were awarded a result at the end of the two-year courses in 2023-24 – suggesting a third dropped out.
Meanwhile, 2,819 young people started a health and science T Level in the last academic year, the latest statistics show. Demand is expected to grow as more schools and colleges offer the qualifications.
NHS England did not specify how many T Level students have been placed in the health service since the qualifications – dubbed the technical equivalent to A-levels – began in 2020.
Acting as ‘ambassadors’
The DfE funded a pilot from June 2023 which employed seven regional industry placement coordinators (IPCO), limited to one per integrated care system (ICS) in each of the seven NHS regions in England.
The contract, if procurement goes ahead, will expand the IPCOs’ remit to cover T Level placements in the 42 ICSs in England “to broaden their impact”, officials said.
Grant funding was awarded to each ICS to employ a coordinator at NHS salary band 7, which pays between £46,148 to £52,809 depending on experience.
According to a recently published handbook by NHS Employers, IPCOs can act as a T Level “ambassador”, engage organisations “beyond the reach of individual employers” and “streamline” the placement process.
In the pilot, one IPCO created a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to speed up the process of securing industry placements “without individual negotiations”.
“The MOU has been shaped by all those involved in the T Level industry placement process,” said Ruth Field, IPCO for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS. “We can refer to it to address concerns and ensure we’re maintaining high-quality placements for students.”
The NHS Employer guide claimed a nationwide model could consider T Level students from all subjects, like digital and business, and not just learners on health and science T Levels.
“Colleagues can also ensure that T Levels are represented in a number of different spaces that discuss broader workforce needs, integrating T Levels as a part of wider system-level workforce strategy,” the document said.
The DfE will host an online market engagement event on February 7 to gauge interest and discuss how to achieve regional coverage, how IPCOs might manage the additional workload, and funding alternatives once DfE funding ends.
The department is aiming to have IPCOs in post by October 1 if the plans go ahead.
NHS England did not respond to requests for comment.
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