Industry Insights provides a range of opportunities, including placements, workshops and virtual group placement sessions to develop skills, build industry knowledge and engage with employers. The programme is supported by industry professionals working for leading organisations such as Amazon, McLaren Racing, Microsoft, NHS, PWC, and the ZSL. Colleges can also link with local employers to arrange workplace and site visits and work shadowing for their staff.
T Level teachers will:
- Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and current industry practices.
- Enrich the curriculum and their teaching with ‘real life’ knowledge and skills.
- Invest in their continuous professional development (CPD).
FE and Skills providers will:
- Develop mutually beneficial relationships with employers.
- Improve learner outcomes and employability.
- Demonstrates a commitment to staff CPD, proven to boost Ofsted ratings.
- Receive funding to facilitate participation in the programme.
“My onsite visit to a Morgan Sindall project gave me a real insight into modern building techniques using ECO Modular Buildings and demonstrates the importance of industry involvement in training of T Level learners. This kind of collaboration ensures relevant and up-to-date skills are shared, and learners are prepared for the world of work. I would actively encourage other companies to find out how they can get involved and realise the benefits to their future workforce”
Simon Parker, Specialist Skills Instructor & T Level Development Lead at South Essex College
Real life experience through industry placements
ETF has put together a calendar of one-day group site visits and half-day virtual sessions with expert professionals. These events are designed to help teachers broaden and deepen their understanding of how T Level subjects are applied in industry. They cover a wide range of topics, for example: current and future trends, new and emerging technologies, and existing practices in the day-to-day life of industry professionals, as well as career pathways and progression opportunities for T Level learners. Recent events have included a day shadowing staff at The Royal Opera House for Creative and Design T Level teachers and forthcoming events include an exclusive site visit to Scolmore International in Tamworth for Construction and Engineering & Manufacturing T Level teachers.
FE and Skills providers can apply for funding to facilitate their participation in the programme. There is up to £400 available per participant for a full day event, and £200 for a half day event, to help with costs for admin, logistics and cover. If participants prefer to arrange their own individual site visits with a local employer, for example, the same funding for associated costs is available.
‘Just three weeks after attending ETF’s well-organised group industry placement session, we’re seeing a significant impact. The experience has inspired further professional development, helping us feel more confident and prepared for the delivery of our T Level provision.’
Karena Morrison, Teaching & Learning Manager, Brighton Met
Stay up to date with live events and workshops
A day away from school or college isn’t always a convenient option, so teachers can get a focussed ‘quick fix’ by joining one of ETF’s Industry Workshops. These 60 – 90-minute sector specific updates help build industry knowledge and provide the latest info on current and emerging technologies and practice. There is usually a Q&A session as well.
Teachers can access recordings of all Industry Insights Workshops on-demand on the ETF learning platform.
ETF is always adding new sessions to the workshop calendar , so teachers are advised to check regularly.
Here are some of things that participants say they value about the sessions:
“Clear concise explanations.”
“Learning up to date industry knowledge.”
“Information about the recruitment processes and qualification levels was very useful.”
“Personal experiences / real life examples.”
“The best part was the collaborating sessions with other T-Level Teachers, where we shared our different experiences and challenges.”
“The opportunity to listen to multiple speakers online without needing to travel to a conference.”
“Just superb – incredibly knowledgeable speakers and the content was relevant – thank you.”
Take your pick of practical tips and learning
The ETF learning platform has a growing number of Industry Insights and employer partnerships online courses available. T Level teachers can boost their CPD and enhance their industry-specific knowledge and skills, when they want and at their own pace.
You can find out more about the innovative Industry Insights programme on the ETF website. Colleges and teachers will need to open an ETF account to access events and to apply for funding.
Practical help for everyone involved in planning and delivering T Levels
The Industry Insights programme is just one element of ETF’s T Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer, which was commissioned by the Department for Education. It was developed in collaboration with expert learning providers and employers in order to support FE and Skills providers offering T Level qualifications and is shaped around the needs of the workforce alongside relevant regional, employer and curriculum requirements.
The six elements of ETF’s TDLP offer are a rich mix of live online and face-to-face workshops, in-house delivery, e-learning resources, mentoring, networking, and industry collaboration. At the core is a range of subject specific training which provides practical help to everyone involved in the planning and delivery of T Levels. All T Level Professional Development is offered at no charge to ESFA funded FE and Skills providers. Find out more.
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) is the workforce development body for the Further Education and Training sector. We provide educators with a pathway of professional development throughout their careers, champion inclusion and enable sector change for a thriving FE and skills sector.
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