T-levels, the flagship qualifications designed to be the vocational equivalent of A-levels, are suffering from high drop-out rates and inappropriate industry placements, a review has found.
A report by the education watchdog Ofsted found that at their best, T-levels combined high-quality study and practical skills development. However, at their worst, the courses were not what students expected, and many reported being misled about their content.
His Majesty’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, said: “As with many new qualifications, there are some teething issues with T-levels, but in most cases, providers and employers seem to be working well together to address them.
“However, we saw a range of shortcomings which providers and the Department for Education (DfE) will want to address. When done well, they can be a strong option for learners who prefer a vocational route through education as a path to their intended career.”
Former chancellor Philip Hammond announced the introduction of T-levels in his 2017 Budget, promising extra funding for technical and vocational education, with plans to replace 13,000 existing BTec qualifications with T-levels designed to be “more relevant” to employers’ needs. The first cohort of young people to receive T-level qualifications did so in August 2022.
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Oftsed reviewed the effectiveness of both T-levels and T-level Transition Programmes. TLTPs are one-year, post-GCSE courses (level 2) to prepare 16 to 19-year-olds for T levels, while T-levels are two-year post-GCSE qualifications (level 3) that combine theoretical learning with a nine-week industry placement.
It found that T-levels and TLTPs had been implemented with varying degrees of success. In the best education providers, they have been adopted after “extensive engagement with employers and as part of a well-considered curriculum planning process”.
Often, though, providers have introduced T levels and TLTPs because they expect other vocational courses to be stripped of funding under DfE reforms.
In April a cross-party House of Commons committee concluded that the government’s plans to withdraw funding for BTecs, had not allowed sufficient time to evaluate the roll-out of T-levels.
While Ofsted found that the practical aspects of courses were generally taught well, vocational teachers often struggle to teach theory in sufficient depth. It also said that many providers struggle to recruit and retain staff with enough experience and expertise.
T-level industry placements
The review found that the quality of industry placements varied considerably. Finding suitable placements was a barrier to increasing the number of T-level places available and placements were often limited. It added that employers are often poorly informed about the content and structure of T levels.
For example, providers of the digital T-level had trouble finding industry placements for web design, programming and coding, a problem exacerbated by employers’ remote working arrangements.
On health T-levels, Ofsted found there was often competition for placements from other providers, including universities.
Some students were left to arrange their own work placements, while others, particularly in construction, involved “considerable travel, and students did not have the means to get to them”.
Most T-level students who remained on their course for two years achieved their qualifications, but in many courses, significant numbers of students were dropping out before the second year. At some providers, all students dropped out because of their experience in the first year.
Around 17,000 students have started T-levels since 2020, but the DfE has not released data on how many completed their courses.
Many students who completed T-level courses went on to study for degrees at university, but some found their preferred university did not accept T-levels as an entry qualification.
James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said Ofsted’s report “is clear that T-levels are not yet the gold-standard, mass-market replacement for BTecs the government believes them to be”.
“Ministers need to drop the rhetoric, face the reality and rethink their plans for qualification reform,” he said.
The report made several recommendations for the DfE to address T-levels’ shortcomings, including substantially raising public awareness and promoting the qualifications to employers to encourage more high-quality placements.
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A spokesperson for the DfE said: “We have already made good progress to address many of the areas highlighted in the report, but we know further action is needed. To support providers and ensure T-level delivery is a success, we are continuing to offer a range of support, including funding to help more businesses to offer industry placement and additional funding for facilities through the T-level capital fund, with £100m for over 100 projects in the latest wave of funding this month.”
