FE lecturer Alison Ackroyd voices her opinion on the value of T-levels and the inherent practical experience they provide
Further education (FE) is often a second career for professionals such as myself, passing on our vocational skills and knowledge to post-16 students. I moved from research to FE more than 25 years ago and have worked in colleges in London and Southeast England on vocational and academic courses. I presently teach T-level science (laboratory sciences), part of the second wave of T-levels. They are a refreshing approach to teaching science, providing much creative scope to embody the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for the workplace. T-levels present an excellent opportunity for me to upskill, reskill and learn new skills about current scientific practice too.
T-levels were designed in partnership with industry. They are equivalent to three A-levels but focus on vocational skills, with an industry placement to build knowledge and expertise. This mandatory Department for Education (DfE) placement equates to about 45 days (20%) of the course.
At MidKent College, for example, students apply for placements as potential employees to give them a real sense of the job application process. The emphasis on practical work in lessons certainly eases the move to industry where they learn to apply theory in practice. Students gain industry-specific knowledge which helps shape their career decisions. They also start building professional networks much earlier than conventional level 3 students and can begin the journey of professional registration as a scientist. At the end of the placement, they gain a reference and a portfolio of skills ready to add to their LinkedIn profiles.
Further education (FE) is often a second career for professionals such as myself, passing on our vocational skills and knowledge to post-16 students. I moved from research to FE more than 25 years ago and have worked in colleges in London and Southeast England on vocational and academic courses. I presently teach T-level science (laboratory sciences), part of the second wave of T-levels. They are a refreshing approach to teaching science, providing much creative scope to embody the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for the workplace. T-levels present an excellent opportunity for me to upskill, reskill and learn new skills about current scientific practice too.
T-levels were designed in partnership with industry. They are equivalent to three A-levels but focus on vocational skills, with an industry placement to build knowledge and expertise. This mandatory Department for Education (DfE) placement equates to about 45 days (20%) of the course.
At MidKent College, for example, students apply for placements as potential employees to give them a real sense of the job application process. The emphasis on practical work in lessons certainly eases the move to industry where they learn to apply theory in practice. Students gain industry-specific knowledge which helps shape their career decisions. They also start building professional networks much earlier than conventional level 3 students and can begin the journey of professional registration as a scientist. At the end of the placement, they gain a reference and a portfolio of skills ready to add to their LinkedIn profiles.
A win-win situation
My experience of the process so far is positive. Visiting our students in the workplace and hearing the overwhelmingly complimentary feedback has been reassuring in our decision to switch to T-levels. The students’ professionalism shines through; we have been told by more than one employer that their performance matches or exceeds that of graduate recruits. We recently held a webinar in conjunction with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Kent Local Section where our placement partners echoed the benefits to them as employers in hosting our students. It is a win-win situation with students returning to college more confident. Students are more able to contextualise knowledge in exams, such as the employer-set project – confidently handling Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) databases and then communicating these results by presentation and collaborative discussion.
If you are new to T-levels, Gatsby’s information resource is a great starting point where you can read case studies from students, employers and other providers. At the end of their studies, students can progress directly to the workplace, apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications or degrees. Students are functionally competent to enter the laboratory workplace with a substantial body of work experience. They are also well placed to continue onto further study, leading to RSC-accredited degree programs, the ethos of which is similar to T-levels in terms of knowledge, skills and behaviours.
As teachers, we are often called upon for career advice. The Gatsby benchmarks have made our role more accountable and T-levels naturally lend themselves to these standards. Invest in your own technical knowledge by joining an industry insight event live or looking at recorded visits to laboratories and industry partners, all free on the Education and Training Foundation professional development platform. These events have undoubtedly helped me bring benchmark 4 (linking careers to the curriculum) into lessons using practical work as an ideal vehicle for promoting careers. We can add value to any procedure by linking the skills and behaviours developed in a practical to a workplace scenario. The recording of the industry insights’ lipidomics lab at the Babraham Institute, for example, showed solvent extraction and HPLC in practice, bringing to life the biochemistry of lipids in the context of ageing research and the interdisciplinary nature of science careers.
A win-win situation
My experience of the process so far is positive. Visiting our students in the workplace and hearing the overwhelmingly complimentary feedback has been reassuring in our decision to switch to T-levels. The students’ professionalism shines through; we have been told by more than one employer that their performance matches or exceeds that of graduate recruits. We recently held a webinar (rsc.li/3OTGVjd) in conjunction with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Kent Local Section where our placement partners echoed the benefits to them as employers in hosting our students. It is a win-win situation with students returning to college more confident. Students are more able to contextualise knowledge in exams, such as the employer-set project – confidently handling Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) databases and then communicating these results by presentation and collaborative discussion.
If you are new to T-levels, Gatsby’s information resource (bit.ly/3IWg41W) is a great starting point where you can read case studies from students, employers and other providers. At the end of their studies, students can progress directly to the workplace, apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications or degrees. Students are functionally competent to enter the laboratory workplace with a substantial body of work experience. They are also well placed to continue onto further study, leading to RSC-accredited degree programs, the ethos of which is similar to T-levels in terms of knowledge, skills and behaviours.
As teachers, we are often called upon for career advice. The Gatsby benchmarks have made our role more accountable and T-levels naturally lend themselves to these standards. Invest in your own technical knowledge by joining an industry insight event live or looking at recorded visits to laboratories and industry partners, all free on the Education and Training Foundation professional development platform. These events have undoubtedly helped me bring benchmark 4 (linking careers to the curriculum) into lessons using practical work as an ideal vehicle for promoting careers. We can add value to any procedure by linking the skills and behaviours developed in a practical to a workplace scenario. The recording of the industry insights’ lipidomics lab at the Babraham Institute (bit.ly/43nhRp9), for example, showed solvent extraction and HPLC in practice, bringing to life the biochemistry of lipids in the context of ageing research and the interdisciplinary nature of science careers.
A timely alternative
Technical education is clearly making its mark. Provider Access Legislation came into effect in January 2023 with the requirement that schools provide at least six encounters with providers of technical education or apprenticeships for all their students during school years 8–13. To help prepare your students, Technicians: we make the difference is an excellent online resource detailing more than 100 roles. There are also lesson plans and information on how T-levels can take students to their next steps. The accompanying interactive Technicians: David Sainsbury Gallery at the Science Museum in London is also a must-see, dedicated to the technical career pathways open to students who progress to science post-16.
With this abundance of rich, technical content and a constantly changing science careers landscape, it is definitely time for T-levels.
A timely alternative
Technical education is clearly making its mark. Provider Access Legislation came into effect in January 2023 with the requirement that schools provide at least six encounters with providers of technical education or apprenticeships for all their students during school years 8–13. To help prepare your students, Technicians: we make the difference is an excellent online resource detailing more than 100 roles. There are also lesson plans and information on how T-levels can take students to their next steps. The accompanying interactive Technicians: David Sainsbury Gallery at the Science Museum in London is also a must-see, dedicated to the technical career pathways open to students who progress to science post-16.
With this abundance of rich technical content and a constantly changing science careers landscape, it is definitely time for T-levels.
Alison Ackroyd is a lecturer with over 25 years experience working in the FE sector
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