Full steam ahead for the fourth wave of T Levels

Contracts have been signed with leading awarding organisations for the fourth wave of T Levels to be taught from 2023.

Following a competitive bidding process overseen by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute), City & Guilds will develop, deliver and award qualifications in:

• Animal Care and Management
• Agriculture, Land Management and Production

NCFE will develop, deliver and award qualifications in:

• Craft and Design
• Media, Broadcast and Production
• Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics

Highfield will develop, deliver and award qualifications in:

• Catering

T Levels are new two-year courses that follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A Levels.

Their outline content is designed by employers to ensure the knowledge and skills of the T Levels meet the needs of industry and prepare students for work. Awarding organisations then use this content as the basis to develop, deliver and award the qualifications.

T Levels bring classroom and work-based learning together, providing a mixture of technical knowledge and skills, an industry placement of at least 315 hours, and relevant maths, English, and digital skills.

They are being gradually rolled out across four waves from 2020 to 2023 (see below) to serve 11 different sectors.

Minister for Skills, Alex Burghart said:

"T Levels are a game-changing opportunity for young people to get a high-quality technical education and superb on the job experience and expertise.

"It’s excellent that contracts have been signed for the next wave of T Levels. This will mean even more students can benefit from world-class training, unlocking exciting new pathways in areas such as media, design and agriculture.”

 

Jennifer Coupland, chief executive at the Institute, said:

“I’m delighted contracts to deliver the fourth wave of T Levels have been signed and work can now progress with preparing them for teaching. I would like to congratulate City & Guilds, NCFE, and Highfield. We look forward to working with them to make sure these exciting new qualifications deliver the skills employers and students need.”

 

David Phillips, managing director at City & Guilds and ILM, said:

"We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver these new T Levels, giving us the opportunity to help the next generation of young people develop the vital land-based skills they and employers need. 

 “Bringing our expertise built from a long history in this sector, we are excited to begin offering high quality, high value qualifications to students to prepare them for a career in a wide range of land-based industries.”

 

David Gallagher, chief executive at NCFE, said: 

"NCFE is delighted to have been awarded the new T Level contracts, and to be able to expand our technical education offer to include creative sector specialisms, improving choices for students. We look forward to collaborating with expert contributors to help us to raise the standards and expectations of skills within their industries, shaping the future workforce and nurturing a new generation of talent. We have been really pleased with the progress of T Levels so far, and we will be able to build on this knowledge and experience when designing and implementing these new qualifications.”

 

Jason Sprenger, chief executive at Highfield Qualifications, said: 

"Highfield are delighted to have been chosen by the Institute to develop and award the Catering T Level Technical Qualification. It has been well noted that this qualification represents one of the most significant developments in hospitality education within the last decade. Highfield was originally founded to support learners to achieve their educational aspirations in this sector; almost 40 years ago. We really can’t overstate what this accomplishment means to us or how seriously we take this responsibility.”