Courses
T Levels
Get real-life, industry experience and a technical qualification
T Levels are new courses for post-16 students which can be taken after your GCSEs and are equivalent to three A levels.
T Levels are a 2-year course that offer a combination of classroom and workplace learning, designed with employers, to give you the skills that industries need. They are ideal for you know if you want to get hands-on experience and learn skills that will get you a job in a technical profession, for example, engineering, science, accountancy, or media. To succeed in your chosen T Level, you need to show technical knowledge, specific learned abilities, concepts, and skills for the industry area, and a basic working knowledge of the occupations and career path in your chosen field.
Every T Level course includes an on-the-job industry placement with an employer, with 315 hours (approximately 45 days) of content and training within your chosen sector, either as day release or a block of days together. Workplace learning focuses on developing the practical and technical skills you need.
T Levels are supported by The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and National Apprenticeship Service (part of ESFA), working with employers to design the industry placement around the student.
T Level Courses
From September 2023, our colleges will be delivering T Levels in the following:
- Digital Production, Design and Development
- Health and Science
- Education and Childcare
From September 2024, the following T Levels will be available:
- Animal Care and Management (Animal Care and Management)
- Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Mechanical Engineering)
- Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
- Healthcare Science (Assisting with Healthcare Science)
- Healthcare Science (Optical Care Services)
Digital Production, Design and Development
Core modules include:
- Students will develop an understanding of:
- How digital technologies impact business
- The ethical and moral implications of digital technology
- Using data in software design
- Using digital technologies to analyse and solve problems
- Digital environments, including physical, virtual and cloud environments
- Emerging technical trends, such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain, 3D printing
- Legal and regulatory obligations relating to digital technologies
- The privacy and confidentiality of personal data
- The technical, physical and human aspects of internet security
- Planning digital projects
- Testing software, hardware and data
- Digital tools for project management and collaboration
Education and Childcare
Core modules include:
- Understanding the Education and Early Years sector from ages 0 to 19
- Child development
- How to support children and young people’s education
- Safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing
- Understanding and managing behaviour
- Observing and assessing children and young people
- Equality and diversity
- Special educational needs and disability
- English as an additional language
- Working with parents, carers and wider families
- Working with agencies and services that support children, families and carers
- Reflective practice and other forms of professional development
Health and Science
Core modules include:
- Working within the health and science sector
- Health, safety and environmental regulations
- Managing information and data
- Principles of good scientific and clinical practice
- Core science concepts including the structure of cells, tissues and large molecules, genetics, microbiology and immunology
- Understanding the healthcare science sector
- Further knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, diseases and disorders, genomics and medical physics
- Providing person-centred care
- Infection prevention and control
- Good scientific practice
Work Placements
During the work placement part of the T Level, you will work as a member of the team and have designated tasks and areas of responsibility, just like you would in a real work situation. Here is an example of a potential tasks that you would be expected to complete during the work placement. This example is for a Health and Science T Level.
Job Description and Specification
This is an example of a potential job description.
Job Role:
As a Laboratory Science T Level student, you will be responsible for assisting with laboratory experiments and research projects under the supervision of experienced laboratory scientists. You will work as part of a team to carry out various laboratory tests and procedures, maintain laboratory equipment and materials, and record and analyse experimental data. You will also be responsible for following safety protocols and procedures and ensuring that all laboratory activities are carried out in accordance with industry regulations and standards.
General Responsibilities (under supervision):
- Assist laboratory scientists with experimental procedures and protocols
- Set up laboratory equipment and materials for experiments
- Collect and record data from laboratory experiments
- Prepare samples for analysis and testing
- Maintain laboratory equipment and materials and ensure that they are in good working condition
- Follow safety protocols and procedures to ensure a safe laboratory environment
- Analyse experimental data and prepare reports on findings
- Collaborate with laboratory scientists and team members to complete projects on time and within budget
- Attend training sessions and workshops to develop new laboratory skills and knowledge
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date laboratory records and documentation
- Follow Standard Operating Procedures and regulatory requirements and all Health and Safety requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
A T Level is a 2-year course that combines an combines classroom and practical learning and industry experience to learn the skills and experienced needed to succeed in a skilled profession or to progress to more advanced technical education or training. This course is designed for aged 16 learners who have finished their GCSE’s and progressing on to studying. A T Level is an alternative option to A Levels, Vocational Courses and Apprenticeships.
Employers have helped design these courses with real life experiences, on the job training, and influences into the study programme to provide learners with the industry knowledge, core skills and develop confidence needed to enter technical employment.
Learners who pass their T Levels receive a certificate for their specialism.
See our Equivalence Table below of the different course levels needed depending on career levels.
T Levels are based on the same principle as Apprenticeships, however where an Apprenticeship is typically 80% on-the-job and 20% in the classroom, T Levels are more classroom based, but are combined with an industry placement. The total time for the 2-year T Level course is 1,800 hours, a significant increase on current technical education courses.
Yes, all T Level courses are designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
On completion of the T Level course, you receive an overall grade of pass, merit, or distinction. This is a nationally recognised certificate that shows your overall grade and a breakdown of what you have achieved (called a statement of achievement).
The T Level certificate includes:
- an overall grade for the T Level, shown as pass, merit, distinction or distinction
- a separate grade for the core component, using A* to E
- a separate grade for each occupational specialism, shown as pass, merit or distinction
The certificate also confirms that you have:
- completed the industry placement
- met any additional mandatory requirements
Maths and English qualification up to level 2 are also referenced on the T Level certificate and the statement of achievement.
After completing the T Level, you have several options: skilled employment, an apprenticeship, or higher education.
T Levels assessment combines examinations on core skills, with practical skills tests including portfolios, group work, practical projects, and on-the-job tasks set by the employer. T Levels are graded A* – E which is the same with A Levels. There are 3 main development areas:
CORE – Knowledge and understanding
- Provides content relevant to the course
- Contexts, concepts, theories, and principles
CORE – Employer set project
- Skills required to develop a substantial piece of work in response to an employer-set brief
- Opportunity to develop and apply core skills for employability
Occupational specialist content
- Knowledge and skills necessary for employment
- Organised around performance outcomes
Yes, to help T Level students move into higher education, UCAS tariff points are allocated to T Levels, which means you can use these UCAS points to progress on to University. The UCAS points are equivalent to those taking 3 A Levels or Vocational (BTEC) courses.
UCAS points are only allocated to the overall T Level grade, so you must achieve at least an overall pass grade to receive UCAS points.
Once you have achieved your T Level qualification, you have the option to apply and study at university, attain a higher or degree level apprenticeship, or move into relevant skilled employment.
To be accepted onto a T Level course you need to be aged 16-18 and have a Maths and English GCSE at Grade 4 or above or be working towards them.
T Level courses are being introduced gradually around the country, and CCCG will be launching our new T Levels from September 2023. You will be able to apply through our application portal, so keep checking our website for updates!
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