To mark T-Level Thursday as part of National Apprenticeship Week, we talk about the mutual benefits that are gained from hosting a T-Level student on industry placement.
For the GFIE Team, a large part of our purpose is to break down barriers to opportunity, particularly for those facing barriers to employment.
What are T-Levels?
- T Levels are qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds taken after GCSEs. They are broadly equivalent to 3 A levels and focus on technical and vocational skills.
- T Levels are a mix of learning and on-the-job training that can help students get into skilled employment, university, higher and degree apprenticeships, and Higher Technical Qualifications.
- Each T Level includes an in-depth industry placement that lasts at least 45 days. Students get valuable experience in the workplace and employers get early sight of new talent in their industry. T Level students spend the rest of the time in learning and gaining the skills employers need.
We know that different elements of any recruitment process or new job can feel daunting, and often breaking these down or providing support at key stages can help to remove some of the worries that can become barriers.
One of these particularly pivotal stages is right at the very start of a career - if you’ve not worked in an office before, how do you know how to communicate in an online meeting? Or how to manage your emails?
There are lots of things that start to become second nature when you have worked in a business environment for some time, but understanding these can form the foundations for feeling comfortable and confident in a new work environment.
That’s why when we heard about T-Levels, we knew this is something that would support our aims, whilst giving us the fresh ideas and contributions of someone who was brand new to the world of work.
Our First T-Level Journey
This was something new to us all, but we were able to work closely with Notre Dame College in Leeds, who supported us in understanding the structure of the T-Level and how to prepare for hosting a student - as well as throughout the duration of the placement itself.
We were delighted to host our first T-Level student last year, and created a placement that introduced them to as many facets of the team’s day to day work as possible.
This meant they could:
- contribute to meetings
- assist with researching and producing guidance,
- write and publish an external blog!
They also travelled to Westminster to visit the London-based office (and to see some of the famous Whitehall landmarks!) and participate in an all-team away day.
GFiE enjoyed the benefits of a new perspective being integrated in their work, and the student had the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they had recently acquired during the Business Administration curriculum to real-life scenarios and pieces of work.
Many students choose T-Levels because of the ability to gain this practical hands-on experience, and the Business Administration T-Level lends itself to a range of different business areas, including HR, Finance and Operational Delivery. The industry placements are a fantastic opportunity to explore different areas of the business, including by setting up job shadowing and networking opportunities so that students finish their placement with even more support to draw on in future.
As part of this year’s T-Level Thursday, we encourage you to take this opportunity to see whether you can learn more or consider any opportunity to get involved in giving T-Level students the best start to their future careers.
Want to find out more?
There are many resources available at https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/, including those additional resources to support as part of National Apprenticeship Week toolkit.
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