Technical Levels, colloquially known as T-Levels, are the biggest reform to hit the English education system in 70 years.  Due to come into effect in 2020, the goal of these new technical qualifications is to “bring… training for young people and adults in line with the needs of business and industry” and to increase the number of young people who embark on a technical education.

This new system will replace the current range of c.20k qualifications that are presently being run by c.160 organisations, with 15 vocational ‘routes’ for students to choose from. Each route will take two years to complete and the overall goal is to present students with two clear choices: the academic route (A-levels and Degree) or the technical route (T-Levels), with bridging courses promised at 18+. Each of these routes will be delivered through college and/or employment based education. There will be a reliance on apprenticeships, with four of the 15 routes primarily being delivered this way. The remaining ‘college-based’ programmes have initially been assigned to new trailblazer apprenticeship groups and are presently under development; within which MP Futures have already succeeded in establishing our first sector specific apprenticeship.

If you would like to read more on T-Levels and how they might affect our industry see the article on the mpqc’s website: www.mp-qc.org