THE introduction of T Levels are tipped to mark a revolution in technical education with students being offered an alternative which fuses classroom-based study and work experience.

Equivalent to about three A Levels, these two-year full-time courses offer a strong technical alternative, according to the Prime Minister, and another route into a young person’s desired career.

It also signals what Theresa May said is the “most significant reform to advanced technical education in 70 years”.

The first 52 colleges and post-16 providers to teach the qualification from 2020 have already been announced with the rest of the country following suit in subsequent years.

Only three of those pilot institutions are in the east of England with the closest based in Norwich.

However, Colchester Institute is one of those having to prepare its curriculum for a future of T Levels.

A spokesman said: “Colchester Institute will be fully involved in the implementation and delivery of the new T levels.

“We expect this exciting development to be positive for technical and vocational education.

“At present we successfully deliver a range of the newly available technical qualifications in subjects as diverse as early years, engineering, health and social care, and electrical installations.

“Then from September 2019, the college is part of a national pilot to offer work placements of between 45 and 60 days on selected courses.

“This is to prepare for the T levels and to enhance our already well-established programme of well-designed work experience on all our courses.

“All our curriculum developments are to meet local skills needs and students’s ambitions across north Essex.”

Pupils entering Year 10 this upcoming academic year will be the first pupils able to choose T Levels and will begin their studies after their GCSEs.

Digital technology, construction, education and childcare will be the first subjects on offer but by 2023, this will be all subjects.

Their options will then be going straight into a job, studying at university or going on to a higher level apprenticeship.

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Colchester Institute's events apprentice Lauren Andrews with Hedingham School pupils at a STEM event at its Braintree campus

Jane Gratton, head of skills policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, which has a Colchester base, is positive about how T Levels could begin to address the nation’s skills shortages.

But some of the key challenges in making this successful are based around facilitating and funding work placements.

She said: “T Levels will be an important part of the solution, giving young people a high quality route to gaining the employability and technical skills they will need to succeed in their chosen career.

“Ensuring businesses of all sizes, and in all regions, have an input into the design and content of the new system will be crucial to its success.

“Business, educational institutions and government need to work together over the coming years to ensure that parity of esteem between academic and technical education is achieved.”

For several years now the Government has worked to up the credibility of work-based training and encourage young people to see apprenticeships as a viable option.

One size has never fitted all so it is essential for the quality of vocational training to improve for those students who will be unable to achieve the grade requirements necessary for college or sixth form.

They should also cater for individuals who simply prefer to learn by doing.

What the T Levels’ consultation highlighted, however, is that for the programme to be successful, there has to be strong partnership between the Government, providers, and the industries they are trying to engage, something which industry leaders feel has been lacking.

Consideration must also be given to the availability of work placements and the constraints on certain employers to be able to offer them how the providers specify.

Greater emphasis on employability and preparing students for work environments was also given as a consideration.

As for existing technical qualifications, they might remain if they have a clear purpose.

Until the full rollout, they will be under review to make changes clear cut for families.