Hi, everybody, and welcome to this on demand webinar session for introducing T levels.
This is part of our keeping it simple series of on demand events. And there are three in
total. And this one, we're going to look at exactly what T levels are, how they all made
up, and a little bit about how they're structured. So, firstly, what are two levels? Well, they're
fundamentally post 16 study programmes, and they fit alongside apprenticeships and a levels.
And they're designed to support progression into employment apprenticeships, or into further
study. So degree programmes or high technical qualifications. They focus on developing technical
skills that sit within specific industry routes. And in total, at the moment, there are 25
T levels planned. The content for the tea level is based on apprenticeship standards.
And we as an awarding organisation, use this outline content and some conditions that are
given to us by off qual and that's what forms the specification and the assessments of the
T level. And that's what we deliver as part of our remit of an organ Award, an organisation
that delivers a T level to senators.
T levels have been rolled out gradually. And of those 25 T levels you can see on this slide
here, but they've been rolled out over a six year period, though the first three T levels
started in 2020. And that was designed surveying and planning for construction, digital production,
design and development and education and childcare. We then saw some further T levels join in
2021. So two more digital two more construction and three T levels across the health and science
route in 2020, to some multi levels joined. So we've seen the launch of finance and accounting,
also a management and administration T level. And then number three engineering and manufacturing
T levels. In September 2023, we see the launch of just SUTI levels, so legal services. And
this gives the whole route of legal finance and the counting. So that gives a full compliment
now for that boot, and one of the Agriculture and Animal Care T levels. And then we also
expecting further two levels coming through with regards to agriculture. So an animal
care T level will be launched hair, beauty and aesthetics and to T levels within the
creative space. And also then hospitality and catering and marketing will launch for
2025. So Pearson have a number of T level contracts. In total, we have two from the
first wave of tea levels that were launched in 2020. And then we have another two that
will for first teach 2022. So the accounting and finance and then the Legal Services one
as well. So that gives that full complement. We also have the contracts to deliver the
Craft and Design and the media bought Custom Production and the marketing T level.
It is a single contract award. So you will find that it's there's only one awarding organisation
that delivers the T level in that certain subjects and we hold the contract for a certain
number of years. And then those contracts are read tended for, you know, during the
duration of the delivery of T levels. So how do they work?
The T level is a large programme is significant in size. And we'll look at the whole size
of the T level on the next slide. But fundamentally, the T level is an approved technical qualification.
And that's a bit that we as an auditing organisation, deliver. And that gives the technical knowledge
and practical skills against that specific industry. So that rollout of two level subjects
that I've just gone through. There's also an industry placement of at least 315 hours.
And this is associated with the two level that the student is doing. So it's got to
be specific to the occupation, the T level focuses on and it as I said it's 315 hours
now that says a minimum some T levels might have more than that. It does depend upon the
T level and the context that the student might need to go and start working after they have
completed their study.
So I've talked about the outline content, a little bits that we get given from the Institute
for apprenticeships and technical education and this is what's aligned against the apprenticeship
standards. And this is what we used to call the technical qualification. Now this is just
an example of what a technical qualification looks like. We've taken this example from
our digital antenna design, surveying and planning for construction to level their substantial.
So you can see here that it's split into two components. There's a core component, and
then an occupational specialism. The core component on the slide here you can see is
600 guided learning hours, and the occupational specialism is also 600. So it's a 5050 split.
So in total, you're looking at the equivalent size here and roughly about three A levels.
So they are substantial in size, they're big qualifications, and they have a lot of assessment
attached to them. So the focus a little bit on the core, for the cause, I said is 600
guided learning hours, and that is where students will start to learn about the knowledge and
some of the skills that go right across the loot. So for construction, you might see them
learning knowledge and skills that go across design and surveying, it might go across on
site construction, and it also go across building services engineering.
They are assessed in a very specific way. And this is part of the conditions that are
given to us by off well, they must have an external examination, and they must have an
employer set project. Because of the amount of content that sits in this component, we've
actually got two exam papers. And you can see here, both of them are two and a half
hours in duration. And they are both equal to a third of the overall grade for this particular
components. Then likewise, the employer Set Project is also picks up the final third.
But as you can see here from the employer set project, it's a longer project task based
approach. So it's this example here is 15 and a half hours that's assessed in a window.
So it's much more like a a task project that is assessed. It's still done under controlled
conditions. It's not an internally set assignment, it is set by the exam board, and it's also
marked by us as well. And we'll look in more detail in our keeping it simple version of
the core. And in more detail about this. The Occupational specialism as I said is again
600 guided learning hours and for this example equates to again half of the T level for construction.
So in this example here, there are four occupational specialisms. Now T levels will have different
numbers of occupational specialisms. The minimum obviously is one.
But it can be actually as many as seven students only take one specialism they don't do for
example here or four, they only would take one. And that could be the students deciding
or it could be based on how your curriculum works. That's what you offer in your centre
based on your local environment, the resources that you have and access to expert teaching
staff etc.
So the occupational specialism is where the students will really get to grips with developing
technical skills for a particular occupation that they want to focus on. Again, there's
a big chunky assessments attached to this. It's a single assessment. It's again, marked
and set by us. And in the main that is the case for most technical, technical qualifications,
poverty levels. And then again, it's a big chunky assignment delivered it in a window.
So it's a bigger version really of your employer set project. But now this is looking at the
performance outcomes that sits within the occupational specialism so the occupational
specialism is graded pass merit and distinction. The call was graded a star to E. So, overall,
that gives us a C level grading. The T level grading is aggregated by the Education and
Skills funding agency. So the awarding organisation, we give the component grades to the SFA and
they aggregate and they will release T level grades on the normal level three results day.
But what you can see here are the overall grades with what a T level would look like.
Now different T levels may have different aggregations sitting behind them and that
will depend upon the size of the core and the size of the occupational specialism but
what you see on the screen here is the aggregate
For currently all of Pearson's T levels, but there is a link in the slide there, that takes
you to a full lookup table where you can look up other combinations. So what you can see
here is that the core is down on the left hand side, and then the occupational specialisms
and running across the top and then that gives you the aggregation of the overall T level.
So if a student for example, got an eighth phone call, and a distinction in the occupational
specialism that got us distinction star for their T level, if they got a C in the core,
and a minute to the occupational specialism, they've got a merit for the overall Tina.
This then equates into UCAS points. So UCAS points are allocated to T levels, and they
are basically equivalent to the same equivalent UCAS promises what you would get for three
A levels as you can see here, so if that student got their distinction star, as I mentioned
earlier, they would get 168 UCAS points and that's the equivalent to gaining three a stars
at a level.
That happens from slight changes with regards to UCAS points. So this is to support students
that partially achieved a T level. So maybe they just pass the call, or maybe they just
pass the occupational specialism either way, they must complete that industry placements
that I talked about. But if they completed a specific element of it, then obviously they'd
be have points allocated to the component they passed with that completion of the industry
placement.
So just a little bit more about the industry placement. This part of the T level is managed
by the Department of Education. So awarding organisations who deliver the technical qualification,
we're not responsible for the industry placement, we've got that person, some support materials
that can help you. And because we as an employer help centres and we offer industry placements,
but we don't monitor or manage the industry placement as part of a T level. As I said,
as a minimum, it's 315 hours. And it needs to be in an industry environment that's linked
to the tea level occupational specialism and moves. And the idea behind the placement is
this is where a student will really get to grips with the occupation or start start to
learn more about the skills that are needed in there, they'll start to practice those
skills. They'll apply the skills that you've taught them in the classroom, and they'll
start to build what we refer to as threshold competence.
Within their industry placement, they are allowed up to 25 hours of taster so what this
means is that if you were for example, allowing students to choose their occupational specialism,
they could have a taster with an employer to grasp some knowledge with regards to maybe
what specialism they might like to pursue, they can also have up to two employers for
their placement, and send learners can have up to 100 or five hours of their placement
on your on site facility. So for example, if you were running the education and childcare
T level, and you have an on site nurse week, you seven learners could access that on site
nursery as part of their placement.
The most up to date details with regards to Industry Placement are always on the DfE website.
So it's really important just to bookmark that page. And they've got lots of resources
on there lots of guidance for centres and lots of guidance for employers as well.
We've also got some further support generally with regards to two levels. So for every t
level, we have a T level web page, and then a dedicated technical qualification page.
And each technical qualification has a qualification description and a student journey and a brochure
and a poster to support initial advice and guidance and recruitment. We've also got a
dedicated student web page, that's where students can find out more about T levels and they
can read stories from other T levels students and we've also got a dedicated employer page
as well and we can learn about some of our employer partners that support us and you
in the delivery of T levels. And also we have a T level monthly update. So each month with
the exception of August we send out a monthly update. And this just gives you all the information
from person about T levels. It will give you information about
Unknown Speaker 14:56 dates and important dates so entry dates for
registration dates, making sure that you made registrations for learners. It will also give
you information with regards to what's happening on that T level. So maybe we've uploaded some
support materials and some support, resources, etc. So all of that information is held within
those particular updates that we give.