The offer ensures that organisations are equipped to teach T Levels on the very first day learners walk through the doors of a classroom or workshop.
It is aimed primarily at those providers and their staff, who have started delivery of T Levels, or are due to start in 2021.
Click the boxes below to read about each element of the offer and find details on how to access the CPD.
All parts of the offer our available through our new T Level Professional Development Platform.
If you can’t find what you are looking for in the pages below or require further assistance, please contact your Area Relationship and Development Lead.
T Levels are new two-year technical programmes. Their primary purpose is to prepare students for entry into skilled employment, or higher-level technical study. The first three T Levels became available at selected colleges and schools (providers) across England in September 2020.
T Levels will suit students who want a course that will develop genuine occupational skills and give them a head-start in their careers. The level of demand will be higher in the Technical Qualification of T Levels compared to many current vocational qualifications because of the expected level of competence a student will need to demonstrate in the occupational specialism.
The Department for Education (DfE) wants there to be clearer and simpler high-quality options for students ready and able to study at level 3. T Levels and A Levels will be the courses of choice for those opting for classroom-based study, and apprenticeships for those seeking a work-based option.
Removing qualifications that overlap with T Levels and A Levels will ensure clarity for students and employers, and the DfE will consider carefully – through consultation – how such overlaps will be defined. It has not made decisions about the range of other qualifications that need to be available at level 3, but recognises there are concerns about the removal of funding for qualifications that are well established, including AGQs and Tech Levels, or which cover niche or specialist occupational areas.
Further details of T Levels are available in the DfE Introduction of T Levels guidance document.
The ETF has been supporting the delivery of T Levels since 2019 and was awarded a four-year contract in February 2020 to continue to support providers, leaders and practitioners to deliver the new courses.
The offer is shaped around the needs of the workforce alongside relevant regional, employer and curriculum requirements. Additionally, we have utilised the expertise of employers, professional bodies, T Level panels and others that we work with including our key partners: Association of Colleges, Association of School and College Leaders, Cognition, FutureLearn, AlphaPlus, Further Education Associates and Oxford Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
To access the TLPD offer, or to view previous resources, please create your profile on the T Level Professional Development Platform.
All T Level Professional Development is offered at no charge to ESFA funded FE providers.
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has put in place a framework of governance to oversee the implementation of the T Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer.
This comprises three layers:
The Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) looks beyond implementation of the TLPD offer and considers what TLPD success looks like in the wider FE context. The Group brings together key stakeholders with an interest in Further Education.
The SAG is comprised of a core group of around 14 stakeholder bodies, who have nominated individuals to attend on their behalf. These are:
Membership will be kept under review; additional invitations will be made where specific input and/or expertise is required.
In addition, as part of the continuing development of the TLPD offer, the ETF has established further groups to oversee the development of course content and ensure that it is relevant to current requirements and industry practice.
The External Assurance Group (EAG) keeps an overview of the T Level Professional Development offer. The Group has a key role in the review of systems design and implementation, including keeping oversight of and offering feedback on the entire model, across the curriculum design, development, delivery and review processes.
The EAG comprises a core group of individuals who have complementary skills, knowledge and expertise. Additional invitations will be made where specific input and/or expertise is required.
Expert Panels are in place to directly review the content of the individual route and course elements. Each Expert Panel meets during course creation and delivery and provides feedback and action plans as necessary.
The Expert Panels’ membership consists of subject-matter experts, practitioners, employers and professional bodies.
So far, Expert Panels have been established in the following areas:
Additional Expert Panels will be created during the development of CPD content for T Levels coming on stream in 2022 and beyond.