T Levels July 2023 Update

You will have recently seen Pearson will be delivering three more T Level contracts:

• T Level in Media, Broadcast and Production
• T Level in Craft and Design
• T Level in Marketing

We are really delighted to add these to our existing T Level portfolio.

You can read more about the IfATE announcement using the link below:

IfATE July 2023 T Levels Update

Both T Levels will be available for first teach September 2024. Immediate activity to support you includes:

• Qualification Description for each T Level to give you more information about the qualification and support your recruitment in the Autumn term. We anticipate draft versions to be available before the end of term on the relevant TQ webpage.
• Provider Update webinar on 29 September where you can meet the team who are creating the Technical Qualification, hear about the qualification as it currently stands and the timescales for development and approval.
• Provider Validation Panel, giving you an opportunity to join our Provider Validation Panel and engage in the development process.

Pearson has been awarded the T Level in Marketing; this will be available for first teach September 2025.

We have already started the development of the content; this will continue over the summer. As with all our T Levels, your thoughts, comments, and guidance are a fundamental part of our development process. Therefore, we are seeking members for our Provider Validation Panel. This will give you the opportunity to feed into the content and assessment, making sure it is appropriate and accessible for your students and manageable for you to deliver as a Provider. If you would like to join our Provider Validation Panel and be part of the development process.

Pearson will be hosting a Provider webinar on Monday 17 July 3.00 - 4.00pm for all those planning delivering the following

T Levels from 2024:

• T Level in Media, Broadcast and Production
• T Level in Craft and Design

This event is aimed at those new to T Levels. We will walk you through what a T Level is, it’s aim and purpose, how the Outline Content is created and its alignment to the apprenticeship standards. We’ll show you how a T Level in structured, what the two components look like and the type of content you’ll find in each, how they are assessed and how they are graded. We’ll also explain some of the Ofqual conditions that impact the design and assessment.

We also want to discuss the Industry Placement. Whilst this is not within our remit as an Awarding Organisation it is in our interest to work with you and help where we can. We’d like to understand what success you’ve had in engaging employers, what challenges you’ve faced, and how as a collective we can work together to engage the DfE in reviewing the parameters for this sector.

Pearson are responsible for delivering the two components (Core Component and Occupational Specialist Component) of the Technical Qualification for the T Level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction, the T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development, the T Level in Accounting and the T Level in Finance. The Technical Qualification is one element of the T Level. The Department for Education (DfE) are responsible for the Industry Placement.

As part of our responsibility for these components Pearson also deliver assessment and results for the following components:

• Core Component (which consists of the Core Examination and Employer Set Project)
• Occupational Specialism

Pearson will send component results to Providers on the 16 August 2023 via the EOL mailbox. This will consist of a Statement of Results (1 PDF per student) and a broadsheet of results for all students at the centre across all Technical Qualification components. The release of these component results to students are embargoed until 17 August 2023. Component results are not the same as overall T Level Results information, which will be provided by the DfE through the Manage T Level Results Service.

Pearson also will transfer all component results to the DfE, who are responsible for the following elements:

• Aggregating and issuing the overall T Level grade (this includes results from the two Technical Qualification components and the completion of the Industry Placement)
• Issuing T Level Certificates and Statements of Achievement
• Transfer of T Level grades to UCAS

For more information on these areas, please check out the DfE’s T Levels support for schools and colleges pages on gov.uk or contact the DfE using the ‘Contact Us’ option at the bottom of that page.

If you have queries specifically relating to the Manage T Level Results Service, please contact tlevel.resultsandcertification@education.gov.uk.

Pearson will be running an EO / Administration webinar on 12 October 2023 at 4pm.

This event is for anyone involved in the administration of the Technical Qualification, from undertaking Provider Approval, making Registrations and Entries, through to assessment scheduling.

For those of you delivering the T Level Transition Programme please visit our dedicated webpage. Here you will find a range of information to support the delivery of several of the elements of the TLTP, including:

• Support for English and maths, plus our Functional Skills maths and T-Levels blog.
• Mapping into BTEC to support the delivery of technical skills.

Also, before the end of this academic year we will be publishing guides specifically designed to support the delivery of:

• Work Preparation and Employability Skills via our Level 2 Award in WorkSkills
  
• Pastoral Support and Personal Development via our Level 2 Award in Personal Growth and Wellbeing.

For students who undertake either of these T Level Transition Programme components via successful completion of the above qualifications we are seeking to award their achievement with a digital badge. We will commence a digital badge pilot next academic year and will give you more information about how you can get involved in our September 2023 comms.

Don’t forget we have several materials aimed at supporting your recruitment of T Levels. Our dedicated webpage for Students (which is also really handy for parents too), is ideal to signpost to or use during your recruitment activities.

Here you’ll find:

• Qualification Description – each T Level has one of these. It describes the outline of the T Level, the knowledge and skills that will be gained, and the progression routes available (realistic entry job roles, apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications, and degree programme).
• Student Journey: describing what a typical 2-year programme could look like.
• Qualification Brochure and Poster – ideal for supporting recruitment fairs or social media activity.
• Student Case Studies: enabling those interested in T Levels to hear from real life T Level students, why they chose a T Level, what they’ve learnt and what they want to do next.

In addition, Pearson support Linking London and regularly speak about T Levels at their events. In June they ran a Student and Parent event, at which Pearson and two universities spoke about T Levels. 

Our Q&A Networks will restart in the Autumn term 2023. You can book via our T Level Live Training page.

Please remember you can join the Construction group and T level: Construction to ask specific queries and get notified of updates. We have also recently launched a Facebook group for this T Level and invite you to join to share practice, ask questions and to network.

We have been in discussion with the Association of Colleges regarding progression from the T Level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction to Architecture Degrees. We believe the T Level can be used to progress to Architecture but as you may be aware, universities often require students to submit a portfolio of designs showing their skill and creativity, alongside qualifications. Some HEI institutions expect students to demonstrate not just technical design skills, but also artistic technique which may not be possible to demonstrate during study of the T Level. Where students intend to progress to architecture degrees it is important they are encouraged and supported to build such portfolios, both as part of the curriculum and outside of it. Examples could include hand sketches and technical designs using software during study and drawings done in their own time relating to areas of their interest. There may also be opportunity to build their portfolio during the industry placement, particularly where they work in design sectors.

Our Q&A Networks will restart in the Autumn term; you can book via our T Level Live Training page. If you would like anything specific to be covered or have questions, then please ask in the Facebook Group or contact the Subject Advisor.

Keep an eye on our website over the summer as we will be launching Curriculum Planners and other support materials for the Digital T Level.

Our Q&A Networks will restart in the Autumn term with the first network on 26 September. The first session will join Accounting and Finance and concentrate on the Core. Following this there will be separate network Q+A sessions focussing on the occupational specialisms; you can book via our T Level Live Training page.

The free training provided by the CII for the T Level in Finance (occupational specialisms Insurance Practitioner and Investment Banking and Asset and Wealth Management Analyst) has been postponed to the autumn term, dates and booking details will be on our T Level Live Training page. 

Our Q&A Networks will restart in the Autumn term; you can book via our T Level Live Training page.

Visit our Course Materials page to access your Scheme of Work for Legal Services. 

On our Training and Admin Support page you’ll find everything you need in terms of training and events to support your T Level delivery, and videos and documents to assist in administrating the qualifications.

Our training includes:

On-demand Getting to Know the Specification briefings, giving you a generic introduction, and overview of the Core Component, and an Overview of the Occupational Specialist Component. On-demand Termly Policy Update, each update will be posted at the beginning of term and cover recent DfE policy changes that will impact your delivery.

A direct link to our T Level Live Training page, where you can search for events and book including:

• Live Q&A Network Sessions with the Product Manager and Subject Advisor giving you the opportunity to ask questions, discuss your experience delivering the T Level and share good practice with other Providers.
• Live Getting Ready to Teach training where you’ll cover planning your programme, reviewing elements of the content and practical ways it can be delivered, and signposting to the ongoing support available.
• Live Getting Ready to Assess training where you’ll learn how the assessment will work.Our aim is for you to have a good understanding of the approach we have taken in the assessments. We will look at the ‘command verb’ and discuss what is meant and the type of response required, and how the response changes depending upon the mark attributed to the question. We will also refer to the mark scheme for you to understand where marks will and will not be attributed.Our Training Archive if you are unable to attend any of our live training sessions or want to listen again.

Our administration section includes:

Videos to support making registrations and entries, understanding resit rules, the Key Dates Schedule and the Provider Approval Process

Support documents including all the Provider Approval forms, quality assurance and monitoring, fees and key dates.

Do not forget, if you need to contact us about T Levels you can do so by the Pearson Support Portal. The portal is an online tool you can use to raise your query and track its progress. We will inform you once a member of the team has a reply for you.

Go to the Pearson Support Portal.