T Levels go fully remote as ministers scrap work placement limits

Students can now complete T Level industry placements entirely from home, following the government’s latest attempt to rescue the flagship qualifications.

Updated guidance published by the Department for Education removes limits on how much of a placement can be carried out remotely. It also scraps caps on the number of employers involved in a placement.

The changes mean that a student on a standard 315-hour industry placement could complete the entire requirement remotely and divide the hours among as many employers as necessary.

Claire Green, post-16 and skills specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the limited availability of full, in-person industry placements had been a “major barrier, particularly in rural areas, and introducing greater flexibility should make it easier for colleges to deliver these qualifications”.

However, she warned that the purpose of an industry placement is to give young people “meaningful, hands-on experience of the workplace”, and there is a “risk that fully remote or highly fragmented placements could dilute this experience if not carefully managed”.

Red tape removed

The move marks a retreat from the original vision for T Levels when ministers insisted placements must take place almost entirely in person in the workplace, but with 35 hours permitted for “work taster activities”.

That position was softened in 2023 after colleges and employers warned the rules were unworkable. The Department for Education then allowed most students to complete up to 20 per cent of their placement remotely, rising to 50 per cent for digital T Levels.

The latest rewrite abolishes those thresholds altogether.

Officials still “recommend” using remote hours for no more than 20 per cent of the placement “where possible”, with students spending most of their time working face-to-face with an employer.

But removing the percentage limit was necessary to recognise that not all placement employers will have a physical workplace for the student to attend, with the guidance adding that in some sectors, such as digital, it “may be more appropriate for learners to spend more than 20 per cent of their placement working remotely”.

Restrictions on employer numbers have also been removed. Previous guidance allowed placements to be split between two employers, or up to three where firms formed part of the same supply chain or network.

New guidance said providers “should” still aim to use no more than two employers, but exceptions will be made where a student “would benefit from broader sector exposure” or short-term placements are more workable for employers.

For example, a student studying the health T Level could split their industry placement between three different employers across the local NHS integrated care system – including a hospital, a care home and a pharmacy.

The relaxation of placement rules goes further. Ministers have also removed limits on how much time students can spend on team projects and simulated training environments rather than in traditional workplaces. Previous guidance stated that small team projects overseen by employers and time spent in skills hubs or training centres should account for no more than one-third of a placement. The revised rules now only “recommend” that threshold.

The DfE has also widened the use of placements run ‘on site’ at colleges beyond students with special educational needs and disabilities.

A DfE spokesperson said removing this “red tape” would “help more young people to access premium placements and empowers businesses to offer placements that work for everyone”.

Green urged the government to keep the impact of its changes under close review, adding that the “priority must be to ensure that all students benefit from high-quality placements which genuinely support their skills development and progression”.

Low recruitment challenge

The changes mark another dilution of the government’s flagship technical education policy after years of low recruitment numbers and repeated concessions to schools and colleges struggling to make the system work.

T Levels were introduced in 2020 with the promise of creating a prestigious technical alternative to A Levels, combining classroom learning with substantial industry experience. Ministers hoped hundreds of thousands of students would eventually enrol.

Instead, take-up has remained stubbornly low. A report by the National Audit Office last year showed student number forecasts were missed by three quarters, resulting in a near-£700 million spending shortfall, and questioned whether employers and providers could sustain the demanding placement model.

The government has already moved to reduce the size of future T Levels, cutting teaching hours in an effort to make the courses more manageable for students and colleges.

Regulator Ofqual is also working to remove content “not absolutely necessary to demonstrate threshold competence” and cut the assessment burden for T Levels.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Industry placements remain a key part of T Levels. Our updated guidance introduces a new delivery framework for high-quality placements, giving providers more scope to tailor placements to their local context and the needs of their students.

“These updates have been carefully designed based on feedback from businesses to remove barriers to being accessible while crucially maintaining quality.

“Providers remain responsible for delivering high-quality industry placements that support their students to progress.”