To celebrate T-Levels week, we are promoting the amazing work of our students studying the provision, but what do companies get for offering placements?
What are T-Levels? T-Levels are the newest form of post-GCSE study, mixing the in-depth specialist study of a vocational course, with 45 days of industry placement in a relevant company.
With a T-Level course lasting two years and equivalent to three A levels, Telford College currently offers T-Levels in business, digital, early years, engineering & health, with a creative offering starting in 2025.
Wrekin Housing Group have worked with Telford College for a number of years on different projects, including offering placements in their ranks for apprenticeships, and now T-Levels.
Wrekin Housing Group are one of the largest social housing providers in the West Midlands, providing over 13,000 homes for affordable rent and low-cost home ownership across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin.
One area the group are offering T-Level placements in is digital. Paul Dudley, Business Systems Manager at Wrekin Housing Group, said: “I’m really impressed by the vocational style of T-Levels; it’s the first time I’ve seen us get a new student in with a great base knowledge to get started with.
“We’ve already had our T-Level student, Rob, working on important coding in a system that all our housing team uses, benefiting several hundreds of people. We already have digital apprentices in our team, so he has really fitted in well.
“We are big fans of the T-Levels programme, it allows us to get to know a student and teach them the ways and processes we work to, almost a ‘try before you buy’ method of whether to offer them an apprenticeship in our team for the end of their current study.
“We’d like to take on more T-Level students in the future. We’ve been part of the recent T-Level speed dating event; we’ve had the opportunity to meet so many new students and we’d like to find the right people to bring in.”
Our health T-Level is thriving, with our Clinical Skills Centre providing an excellent training setting for our students to go and practice their skills in the NHS, with a partnership with Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust offering valuable placements.
Emma, one of the women’s service assistants (WSA) in the maternity department at The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, said: “The group I oversaw were absolutely outstanding students and a pleasure to have working with me.
“The enthusiasm they showed and their desire to learn made it a joy to show them what we do here in clinic. They were willing to attempt every opportunity they could, with a level of maturity that I wasn’t expecting from such young students.
“They worked incredibly well alongside the whole team. I hope they enjoyed their time here as much as our department enjoyed having them here.”
If you’d like to take a T-Level student under your wing, please contact the work experience team at workexperience@telfordcollege.ac.uk
