Walsall College prepares for T Level lift off – Apprenticeships and Skills Minister to join college and employer partners for online Live Event

Gillian Keegan MP, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills will join Walsall College and its industry partners for a Facebook Live Event about T Levels – the UK’s flagship new qualifications for school leavers.

The Live Q & A session for prospective students, parents, school teachers, careers advisors and employers will take place on Friday 12 June at 2.30pm.

With T Levels launching in September, a panel of experts will discuss the impact that the two-year, A Level-equivalent programmes will have on UK skills and employability.  These include Shilpi Akbar of Balfour Beatty Vinci and Matthew Brindley-Sadler of Staffordshire University. flagship new qualifications designed in collaboration with employers.

Walsall College Principal and Chief Executive, Jatinder Sharma said: “T Levels are a game changer in the way 16-19 year-olds will train for the world of work.  They are align well to a number of job roles where we know there are skills shortages.  With employers backing these programmes, students can look forward to many meaningful opportunities to develop business acumen and confidence.”

He added: “The college has attracted a good deal of interest from school leavers interested in studying one of the three qualifications we’re delivering in September.  We’re also working with a variety of local employers interesting in providing the work placements that form an essential part of the qualification.”

Walsall College is one of the first colleges in the UK to deliver T Levels in Construction – Design, Surveying and Planning, Digital – Software Development, and Education and Childcare.

T Levels involve students spending 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% on an industry placement of 315 hours, equivalent to 45 days. Students can then progress on to university level study or a higher-level apprenticeship.

“I am hugely excited about the potential that T Levels have to transform young people’s lives,” said Gillian Keegan MP.  “These qualifications are based on the best international examples of technical education and co-designed with industry leaders. They will ensure that young people are learning the skills employers demand and enable them to build great careers or access higher technical education.  I’d really encourage young people and parents to come along and find out what is on offer.”

Shilpi Akbar, Skills Lead at Balfour Beatty VINCI added: “We’re passionate and committed to inspiring and informing young people about the range of careers across the construction industry. We now have the ability to deepen our engagement.

“Supporting the new T Level means we can directly help shape our future talent, ensuring that learners can experience our industry first-hand alongside members of our best-in-class workforce. People undertaking the T Level at Walsall College will therefore be well-placed to embrace the emerging apprenticeships and jobs being created through our projects and the wider construction and infrastructure sector.”

Staffordshire University are also working with the college to promote the benefits of T Levels.

Matt Brindley-Sadler, Associate Dean in the School of Computing and Digital Technologies added: “T Level qualification curricula and style of learning very much mirror how we encourage students at university to broaden their skills by engaging with employers from the beginning of their learning journey.

“Practical and problem based learning, with enquiry and discovery, are at the core of our teaching and learning strategy: to create highly skilled and digitally connected graduates of the future. T Levels will help students to progress successfully to meet these expectations.”

Book a place for the event here.