Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that T-levels enable learners to move between disciplines as their priorities and interests change.

We recognise that, as is the case for current provision, some students will choose to change T Levels after starting their course. We want to ensure that T Level courses accommodate this flexibility.

We will be working with the providers of the first T Levels in 2020/21 and 2021/22 to explore how courses could be designed which allow students to change to another T Level early on in the course without it affecting their progress. The core component of the T Level includes content common across all T Levels within a route, which will help when students move between courses. Where students transfer onto another T Level within the same route, where possible, we will make sure that if they have already attained the core component and this is recognised in their new T Level.

Once T Level content is finalised, we will work with higher education providers to identify where a bridging provision may be needed, to allow students to progress from T Levels to an academic route should they wish to do so.

T Levels are much broader in content than apprenticeships. Students will learn about a range of different occupations in the sector and develop skills common to each, meaning they will have more options and scope to move occupations once in work.