In 2016 government laid out its plans to transform technical education in the UK. And between 2017 and 2021, five local areas worked with the Gatsby Foundation to lay the groundwork for a collaborative roll-out of technical education, with a focus on T-levels, in their area.

Kim Smith, Regional Lead: Education and Enterprise at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), explains how the North East is using what’s been learnt to create a coordinated T-level offer in this region.  

Following a technical education option, such as traineeships, apprenticeships or T-Levels, can open the door to skilled employment in sectors from catering, to health and science, and construction. It can help people upskill and reskill throughout their careers and, for employers, it is a system they can shape to deliver the skills they need.

In the North East, we know that a collaborative approach has been shown to be the preferred, and most effective, way of embedding a new approach to learning. And so we were delighted to be invited to capture the learning on behalf of the Gatsby Foundation from the Local Areas Programme.

Laying the groundwork in five regions

The Local Areas Programme worked with five areas – Greater Manchester Combined Authority; Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership; Liverpool City Region; Sheffield City Region; and West Midlands Combined Authority. Each area aimed to become ‘routes ready’ – that is, ready to ensure clear pathways for individuals into, and through, technical and higher technical education.

Although the North East wasn’t one of the five areas involved, our role was to produce a report highlighting the key takeaways for those regions poised to engage in technical education planning exercises, and this meant that we could gain first-hand access to lessons and good practice, and implement them here in our region.

So, what were the key takeaways, and how are we putting them into practice in the North East?

Achieving buy-in

We’ve created a governance structure which includes the largest regional college group, educational partnerships, and senior representation from government departments, local authorities, business, sector specific bodies, trade unions and the third sector.

And we’ve created a North East LEP T-Level Stakeholder Group and a T-level Provider Group, to enable the sharing of lessons learnt in the delivery and preparation for delivery of T-levels. This structure has enabled us to feed back experiences from the Provider Group up to a stakeholder group made of national partners with key roles in the implementation of T-levels, from the Association of Colleges through to awarding organisations and the Education Training Foundation.

Provider engagement

Communities of practice have been established comprising of existing T-level providers and those planning to deliver, or with an interest in finding out more. Building on the ‘routes ready’ approach we have convened and facilitated route networks, with those responsible for the planning and delivery of T-levels invited to attend. As a result of this, we’re exploring knowledge transfer between FE and HE and the possibility of technical placements supported by universities – for example using lab facilities. And we’re thrilled that Newcastle University has conducted a rigorous mapping exercise highlighting those undergraduate courses recognising T-levels; the University of Sunderland has taken this one step further in using T-levels as a vehicle for learners to access their Nursing Cadet programme and progress into their Nursing degree courses, with a guaranteed interview for T-level learners in the Health Routeway, and this approach is currently being explored by Northumbria University.

Route Networks have been created for subject areas including construction, health, digital and manufacturing and engineering. Each network meets termly with representation from the awarding bodies, the Head of Route from Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, employer and sector bodies, and local universities. These enable all those with an interest in a particular route to understand the qualification, share experiences and connect with key partners to support the delivery of T-levels.

Engaging with employers

T-levels provide a great opportunity for employers to co-design and deliver a curriculum which is responsive to employer need. A key takeaway has been the recognition of lead-in time required to establish and consolidate relationships with employers. When this is achieved it is not only the learner who benefits from an engaging industry placement, but also teachers have had the opportunity to update their industrial knowledge.

SMEs in the region were able to benefit from the financial incentive programme for hosting industrial placements and businesses including Gateshead’s INFINITY 27 have been instrumental in their support for T-levels, hosting learners and supporting their progression into industry. One North East SME has also been approached to represent T-Levels nationally as part of the Department for Education’s T-Level Ambassador Network.

We are also finalising discussions with Health Education England and the Gatsby Foundation to test a pilot for supporting industry placements across the NHS, and the North East LEP has been invited to represent the national LEP Network on the Department for Education’s employer support advisory body for T-levels. And we are thrilled that the Chair of the National Construction Route Panel for IfATE is Tanja Smith, Director of Technical Education from Ryton-based SME, Gradon Architecture.

Working with the careers community

Promoting T-levels and the wider technical education pathways has never been more important, and this includes ensuring there is parity between traditional academic routes, an understanding of progression routes and dispelling myths often association with technical education. This is why we are supporting careers leaders in primary, secondary and post-16 education with resources and training to give them the knowledge and confidence to embed technical education in their careers programmes, with short films being launched in September demonstrating the value of T-levels through the lens of learners, teachers and employers. We’re also piloting a place-based approach in Gateshead, strengthening relationships between Enterprise Advisers in this locality who help schools, colleges and sixth forms to support greater access to the range of technical education pathways available to learners.

Next steps

15 more T-level providers are coming on board in the North East LEP area and they will be looking to enrol their first T-level students in 2024. We are committed to ensuring that the lessons learnt from the early T-level adopters are shared to make the introduction and delivery of T-levels seamless.

If you are planning to commence delivery of T-levels, get in touch so we can connect you to all the support available.

And we also want to hear from businesses. Technical education is shaped by employers and you can not only upskill your workforce but also plan for the future by creating links with the next generation of skilled workers.

Businesses and education providers can get in touch for more information by emailing [email protected]. See the T-levels on offer already in the North East here.