Widening Participation and T-Levels: A Guide for Practitioners
As the first cohorts of post-16 students complete T-Level qualifications, HE Professional explores what this might mean for widening participation and admissions practitioners in higher education.
When T-Levels were introduced to the national curriculum in September 2020, it was believed that the qualification would create pathways for young people hoping to pursue further education or employment. The idea was that this ‘technical’ qualification would help to gradually phase out the ‘vocational’ BTECs and stand as an alternative to the more ‘academic’ A Levels.
Despite this, among the first cohort of pupils leaving school with T-Levels in summer 2022, one third of them cited a Higher Education Institution (HEI) as their preferred destination after completing their qualification.
And, importantly, many students undertaking T-Levels come from widening participation groups such as low socioeconomic backgrounds or low participation areas.
Clearly, then, T-Levels present interesting and complex questions for HEIs, and particularly for the widening participation and admissions practitioners within them.
This blog article explains what T-Levels are and why they matters for widening participation. We offer some suggestions as to how you might target T-Level pupils as part of your outreach agenda.
T-Levels: Explained
What are T-Levels?
T-Levels are technical qualifications that combine classroom and workplace learning for pupils aged 16 – 19 years old.
T-Levels are a Level 3 qualification. The two-year course, which constitutes the equivalent of 3 A Levels in UCAS points, can currently be taken in the following streams:
Business and Administration
Construction
Digital
Engineering and Manufacturing
Education and Childcare
Health and Science
Legal, Finance and Accounting
Each stream offers several options. For example, a pupil studying towards a T-Level in Digital may opt for Digital Business Services, Digital Production Design and Development or Digital Support Services.
There are also plans in place to introduce expanded options in September 2023, such as Agriculture, Land Management and Production and Legal Services.
You can find out more about the full range of subject options available to T-Levels students here.
What does undertaking a T-Level qualification involve?
Pupils spend 80% of their time conducting classroom-based learning. This covers core theory, concepts and skills related to the chosen industry area in addition to a minimum standard in maths and English if not already achieved at GCSE.
The other 20% is committed to “on the job” learning in the form of a 45-day placement with an employer.
Students may also undertake a T-Level Transition Programme: a one-year post-GCSE programme designed to prepare students who need additional support.
How are T-Levels graded?
T-Level students receive an overall grade as well as an individual grade for the core component and each occupational specialism. Grading is conducted using the following format:
| T-Level Grade | A-Level Grade | UCAS Tariff Points |
|---|---|---|
| Distinction* | A*A*A* | 168 |
| Distinction | AAA | 144 |
| Merit | BBB | 120 |
| Pass with C or higher in the core component | CCC | 96 |
| Pass with D or E in the core component | DDD | 72 |
T-Levels and the Student Journey
Recruiting underrepresented students
T-Levels appeal to and are undertaken by students who traditionally have considered university as an option.
The qualification provides an opportunity for those who do not wish to pursue a purely academic qualification to access post-16 education. Yet it also includes a core academic component, which means students who might not have considered university a feasible pathway may reconsider their options.
The government has published a list of providers who are currently accepting T-Levels in their entry requirements. So far, less than half of UK universities accept T-Levels as suitable criteria for entry to a degree programme, with Russell Group institutions particularly underrepresented.
Whether or not your institution accepts T-Levels in their entry criteria should be made clear in your communications. Feedback from the first cohort of students in summer 2022 showed that many young people lacked clarity from providers and ended up missing out on places at their preferred institutions.
The University of Brighton makes it clear on their website that T-Levels are an accepted qualification, outlining the different programmes students can apply for and what is expected of them. Alternatively, the University of Liverpool explains that they will consider T-Levels in a relevant subject on a case-by-case basis and clarifies that they may require further information to assess an application, such as an interview.
Developing a targeted approach for T-Level students in your outreach activities is also crucial for widening participation practitioners. While school partnership projects have been criticised for targeting students who are likely to enter higher education anyway, the introduction of T-Levels might offer opportunities to reach new students.
Make sure you are aware of school partners who offer the qualification. Speak to teachers on how you can best appeal to these students and develop your partnership in ways that support their needs. For example, you might arrange for your careers advisors to deliver a workshop on how higher education can further their employment opportunities and how their industry experience will be relevant to university study.
Improving student experience
T-Level students' differential experience might mean they need additional support in the transition to university. However, their experience and particularly their industry knowledge may enhance learning for all students.
You may wish to provide additional academic support on arrival. Consider setting up workshops and webinars on practical tools that could be of use to these students, such as study skills like notetaking and academic writing.
Be sure to develop strategies for belonging and inclusion for T-Level students from the outset. It may be that the belonging and inclusion strategies you develop for widening participation students have significant overlap with students who have completed T-Levels. However, targeted interventions are equally important.
For example, you may wish to reach out to T-Level students prior to their arrival to provide them with information on what to expect. This might include guidance on academic preparation or reading they can do over the summer, or an explanation of how to get involved in social and extra-curricular activities.
You might also encourage academic and teaching staff to draw on the experience of T-Level students in the classroom. This might include adapting assessment models to focus on continuous assessment, through projects such as group presentations or portfolio work.
T-Level students' knowledge and experience of industry can have beneficial outcomes for other students. You can encourage them to share their existing knowledge register of an industry with their peers who have less experience by building student networks, such as a peer mentoring or buddying programme. The University of West London, for example, offers a peer mentoring scheme as part of their careers service delivery.
This could be particularly beneficial for mental health agendas, as concerns have been raised recently about the wellbeing of students undertaking placements away from their university.
Enhancing graduate outcomes
A 2019 survey by Pearson found that 45% of employers value technical and academic qualifications equally.
Meanwhile, research has shown that graduates from underrepresented backgrounds are less likely to go into skilled employment.
By incorporating practical skills and work experience, students arriving at university with T-Levels are already equipped with enhanced employability. These students will be much savvier about what employers expect of them.
Having selected an industry option, they are also more likely to have an idea of what they would like to do when graduating, so you can engage them earlier in your careers service provision.
However, it’s also crucial that HEIs support T-Level students to map their existing skills onto their university experience.
Embedding employability into the curriculum is one way to do this. By including careers-oriented content in the academic make-up of courses, universities can help T-Level students to build confidence, as they will arrive with prior work experience.
For instructive guidance on how to embed employability in the curriculum, see the University of Bristol’s Institute for Learning and Teaching for a wealth of resources, including a toolkit, case studies, an intranet site and relevant literature.
Your careers service will also play an important role. While T-Level students will have a vocational skill base that will give them an advantage in the graduate job market, they may lack broader skills such as confidence, networking and interviews.
Consider encouraging T-Level students to engage with your careers service early by appealing to them through communications and welcome week activities. You could also offer targeted skills sessions to these students.
You might also consider incorporating your careers service into your outreach with schools offering T-Levels, using the opportunity to explain how higher education can create a wealth of employment opportunities.
How to reach T-Level students
In a report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), many HEIs reported difficulties reaching T-Level students in their outreach activities despite accepting the qualification in their entry requirements. This is down to the time commitments that T-Levels require from students.
As the qualification is still relatively new, these teething issues are to be expected and we are yet to see examples of best practices in recruitment from the sector.
However, there is potentially more that providers can do to target T-Level students in their outreach and recruitment.
Consider your school partnerships. Do your partner schools deliver T-Levels? If so, speak to teachers to determine the expectations and aspirations of their students, and how your partnership might reach students undertaking the qualification.
Assess your graduate data. Do local businesses that employ your graduates also offer placements as part of a T-Level? Can you connect with them to explore options as part of your careers service delivery?
If your institution offers a foundation year, consider how this might be a particularly appealing route into higher education for T-Level students. Incorporate this in your communications and outreach activities.
What next for T-Levels?
As T-Levels continue to be delivered, we hope to see more examples from across higher education demonstrating how this qualification might further the widening participation agenda.
There are still many questions about the qualification and, indeed, debates regarding its potential to widen participation; while students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were well represented in the first cohort of T-Level students, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students were not.
For now, widening participation practitioners can focus on the following steps when it comes to incorporating T-Levels into their agenda:
Roll out clear communications around the eligibility of T-Level pupils for university study
Develop partnerships with schools offering T-Level qualifications
Consider measures you can put in place to ensure that T-Level students feel properly supported on arrival at university, especially through transitions
Devise ways to embed the industry knowledge and practical skills of T-Level students into the curriculum
