T-levels | FE Week

Ofqual will regulate T-levels, boss insists

Ofqual will play a vital role in regulating T-levels, the chief regulator has said. Sally Collier, who was appointed to the top role at watchdog in April last year, appeared before the education select committee this morning, where she was asked by MPs about the role that Ofqual will play with the new “gold standard” […]

T-levels: DfE won’t consult on 3-month work placements

The education secretary has ruled out T-levels at level two and will not budge on mandatory three-month work placements, no matter what emerges from a new public consultation. Justine Greening used her speech at the Skills Summit in London on Thursday to unveil the long-awaited T-levels consultation, urging businesses and training providers to share their […]

Will T-levels falter through a lack of work placements?

Employers want to make the new T-levels work, but they will need clear, practical support, writes Stephen Evans The new T-levels will rely on employers in a number of ways: to help shape content, deliver work placements, and, by getting these right, giving them credibility in the labour market. The scale of the ask is […]

T-level work placement travel costs must be covered

The government must cover the additional travel costs of T-level work placements to ensure rural colleges are not at a financial disadvantage, argues Jo Maher At some point between the T-levels work placement pilot and the latest published government guidance, there seems to have been a change in thinking about how travel costs are to […]

What should the maths component of T-levels look like?

Much expert research and development has already been carried out into maths in technical education – let’s not reinvent the wheel, advises Paul Glaister The post-16 skills plan refers to a “common core”, “specialisation” and “digital skills requirements”, but what should the maths content of each of these look like? Anyone that chooses to answer […]

What is the action plan for T-Levels?

FE Week’s resident policy expert, Gemma Gathercole, dissects the DfE’s latest document… More than a year after the post-16 skills plan, and seven months on from the announcement of more funds to support its implementation, the DfE has published an update in the form of its T-levels action plan. But what does this action plan […]

First T-levels announced by minister

UPDATE, 10am: The T-level action plan has now been published. To read it click here. The first three T-levels have been announced by the education secretary. Qualifications in digital, childcare and education, and construction will be taught by a small number of providers from 2020, according to today’s announcement. The Department for Education’s T-level action […]

T-levels funded work placement plans criticised

New guidance on T-level work placements has been criticised by the Association of Colleges, which fears providers will struggle to fit in the minimum 45 days per learner. The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s guidance has fleshed out Justine Greening’s announcement in July, which said £50 million would be available from April 2018 for “high-quality” […]

Government funding ‘high level’ T-level training for college staff

The Department for Education is forking out £95,000 to run “high-level message” sessions to train FE staff about T-levels. It has put out a tender looking for an organisation to create a “series of specialist events” to raise awareness about the reforms to technical education. These will also serve as information-gathering events for the public consultation […]