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Industry Placements (T Level)
T Levels are a new qualification developed with employers to better prepare young people for the world of work. They combine classroom learning with substantial industry placements, giving students the knowledge and experience that employers value most.
Here’s how they work, and what that could mean for your business.
What is a T Level?
Aimed at students aged 16-19, T Levels are new, two-year qualifications developed with employers to provide a more practical alternative to A Levels that better suit the needs of industry. They combine classroom study (around 80% of the course) with a substantial industry placement, giving students both the technical knowledge and hands-on experience they need to succeed. They are based on the same standards as apprenticeships and approved by Skills England.
Equivalent to studying three A levels, T Levels carry UCAS points and are recognised by universities, but are designed to also prepare students to move directly into skilled employment or apprenticeships if they wish to do so. For employers like you, T Levels offer the opportunity to shape future talent, bring fresh ideas into the workplace and build a pipeline of work-ready young people.
What is an Industry Placement?
A mandatory part of every T Level course, industry placements are more structured than traditional work experience. Lasting at least 315 hours (around 45 days), placements can be delivered as a block, day release, or a mix of both, and make up around 20% of a student’s learning time. Any employer in England can host a placement, either independently or jointly with another organisation, giving you early access to new talent and the opportunity to shape the future skills in your sector.
Placements must be directly relevant to the student’s course, allowing them to put classroom learning into practice. Over the duration, a student should experience different aspects of your business, gaining insight into how your workplace operates, what is expected of them, and building both relevant experience and professional connections within your sector.
Your role is supported by us; to help plan the placement, agree on objectives and to ensure that the students are work-ready from day one. We’ll give you the guidance to ensure that you make the most of this opportunity, as well as our student.
How Could an Industry Placement Help Your Business?
Whilst taking on a student for an industry placement is a commitment, it can help your business in a number of ways. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you have helped shaped their future career, invested in their learning, and have ensured they meet the same standards that employers across the country expect.
Untapped Potential & Innovation
Young people bring new perspectives and up-to-date best practice from their studies. More experienced members of your team may benefit from refreshing their own knowledge, as well as from training someone else. Their enthusiasm and energy often spark creative problem-solving and new approaches that established teams may not have considered.
Building a Talent Pipeline
Hosting a placement is your chance to spot and develop future recruits early. You’ll see a student’s skills, attitude, and potential in action over an extended period. Because T Levels are designed with employers to address skills shortages, you’re investing in a long-term pipeline that ensures your business has access to the skilled workers it needs — now and in the future.
Staff Development
Supervising a T Level student provides an invaluable opportunity for your staff to develop mentoring, coaching, and management skills in a safe, structured way. It can build confidence, support career progression and promote a culture of training and development, boosting morale, job satisfaction and retention across your workforce.
Reputation & Brand Image
Offering placements positions your organisation as forward-thinking, socially responsible, and committed to developing people. It demonstrates to customers, partners, and your local community that you are investing in the next generation of talent. By providing opportunities to young people from diverse backgrounds, you also show your support for inclusion and social mobility within your community.
Stronger Community Relationships
By working with Hertford Regional College, you’ll be partnering with an anchor institution in East Hertfordshire. This can give you early insight into new qualifications, access to training opportunities, and a voice in shaping how students are prepared for work. You’ll also have opportunities to network with other employers, share best practice and collaborate across supply chains, building long-term partnerships that benefit your business.
Increased Productivity &
Skill Sharing
Students on a placement can provide valuable extra capacity, particularly during busy periods or on large projects. Their up-to-date knowledge and skills complement those of your existing employees, helping to increase productivity. By assigning them meaningful tasks, you also free up staff to focus on other priorities in your business.
Getting Started
1. Get in touch
Once you’ve decided you’d like to offer a T Level industry placement, start the process by contacting our team for a conversation. We’ll discuss your business, the T Level programmes that would be relevant to you and how students learn on those courses.
2. Meet our students
After you and our team have defined your placement’s requirements, roles and responsibilities, we’ll begin finding a suitable student to join your business.
Then you’ll get the chance to interview any candidates and assess their skills against your criteria.
3. Plan your placement
Next, we’ll work with you to outline the dates and times that work best or all involved parties as well as finalise key details such as the project they’ll be working on, how often the student will be on-site and wheher you’d like to pay the student.
We’ll also provide support to understand your responsibilities as an employer and help with arranging practicalities such as risk assessments and insurance.
4. Placement
During the placement, your assigned coordinator will be available to help with any questions or queries you might have.
You may wish to assign someone to act as a manager or mentor during the placement, tracking the students progress and liasing with our coordinator.
5. Review
Once the placement comes to an end, you’ll participate in an end-of-placement review with the student and our team. You’ll have the opportunity to speak about your experience and give the student constructive feedback about their time with you. This can help them plan their next steps in their career journey.
FAQ
Who can offer placements?
Any employer based in England can offer a T Level student an idustry placement. As with other employees, their travel time to and from work needs to be considered when deciding whether or not the placement is feasible. Therefore, we encourage you to consider your location before applying.
If you are unsure, please contact us to discuss this before making your application.
What support will be available?
As an education provider, we will support you and our student throughout the duration of the placement.
Do I need to pay the student on placement?
Industry placements are designed to provide students with high-quality, relevant and meaningful work experience and training as part of their further education. Therefore, students are not entitled to a salary, and there is no legal expectation that they will be paid.
If you would like to pay the student, this may help them to feel more included within your business, or you could offer to help with their travel or food costs. This is completely at your own discretion.
Will it cost my business anything?
T Levels are a free government scheme so you will not need to pay to take on a student for a placement.
If you require financial support in order to make offering a placement possible, you can find out more information about the Employer Support Fund on the government website here.
Can we choose our ideal student?
During the process of arranging the industry placement, you will discuss your preferences and job description with the Work Experience coordinator to ensure that we match the ideal student with your business.
How does an industry placement differ from work experience?
Work experience is normally undertaken over the course of one or two weeks, shadowing a member of staff and completing simple tasks. They may not have necessarily studied a relevant course for the business they complete their work experience with.
An industry placement is over approximately 45 days, with a business relevant to the course that the student is studying. The student will complete meaningful tasks, at their ability level, either independently or as part of a team.
Get in touch with our Employer team today to register your interest.
Call – 01992 411572
Email – employers@hrc.ac.uk
Or you can fill out the form below:
Looking for talent?
If you’re looking for new talent, you’re in the right place.
Whether it’s an apprenticeship, work placement, work experience or volunteering, businesses and employers like you play a crucial role in enhancing the skills and knowledge of learners by providing opportunities for them to apply what they’ve learnt in the workplace.