Planning and Delivery Support for Providers of T Levels, including the T Level Transition Programme and Industry Placements

This PIN is for the purpose of initiating the direct engagement with the market with regards to the supply of a support package for providers of T Levels, including the T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) and Industry Placements.

This PIN is for market engagement only. It does not signify the commencement of any procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. If the Department for Education decides to commence any procurement process as contemplated by this notice, a separate notice will be published at the relevant time.

We will be holding a virtual supplier event on 29th November 2022. Please see below for details.

Background:

T Levels are 2-year technical qualifications launched in September 2020. They are taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent in size to three A Levels. They have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers and combine classroom-based learning with a substantial industry placement. T Levels provide an opportunity for learners to gain the knowledge and skills they need to enter university, higher apprenticeships, or skilled employment. The first cohort graduated in August 2022 with a pass rate of 92%.

The rollout of T Levels has been gradual to ensure the quality of the programme, but from September 2023 we expect that more than 350 providers will be delivering T Levels, with 23 T Levels available. Alongside the development of T Levels, we have rolled out the T Level Transition Programme (TLTP), which provides a high-quality route onto T Levels for students who would benefit from the additional time and preparation before embarking on their preferred T Level.

The delivery of the support package will begin in September 2023. The contract will cover support until 31 August 2025, with the possibility of 2 x 1-year extensions to 31 August 2026 and 31 August 2027 respectively.

The Department will continue to monitor interest in T Levels and update assumptions on volumes (including number of eligible providers).

Required services:

The purpose of the support package is to ensure that providers of T Levels and TLTP are able to deliver high quality programmes, including sourcing suitable T Level Industry Placements and TLTP work experience for each learner. The package includes 3 strands of support. Each will be let as a separate lot:

Lot 1: Support with planning and delivering T Levels, including:

• provision of long-term support structures, including high-quality guidance resources and peer networks
• a point of contact for each provider
• development and delivery of events
• industry placements support
• monitoring of and reporting on providers’ progress, including industry placement sourcing

Lot 2: Support with industry placement employment engagement strategies, including:

• development of effective employer engagement strategy toolkits
• guidance on implementing successful employer engagement strategies
• direct hands-on support to embed engagement strategies using the toolkits

Lot 3: Support with planning and delivering TLTP, including:

• provision of long-term support structures, including high-quality guidance resources and peer networks
• regular contact for each provider preparing and delivering TLTP for the first time, and an ad hoc support facility for all providers
• development and delivery of events
• monitoring of and reporting on providers’ progress