Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that T Level industry placements are made available in suitable volumes in the sectors and locations where they are needed.

The department is keen to ensure that all T level students will have access to high quality industry placements.

The consultation on T levels earlier this year asked how we can support all students to access industry placements relevant to their course in areas where there are not employers to offer industry placements nearby. Feedback from this, and from the industry placement pilot scheme last year, helped identify what support is needed[1]. We have provided nearly £60 million this academic year to help post-16 providers to build their capacity and capability to deliver industry placements in advance of T level roll-out. We are working with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to understand how students in rural, coastal and remote areas can access industry placements.

We are carrying out extensive stakeholder engagement across levy industries to ensure that industry placement policy generates placements that are meaningful and reflective of current industry practice. This will help to widen access to T levels in all parts of the country.

[1] This support includes clear guidance for employers and providers to understand their roles and responsibilities, an advice and support service for employers to help reduce the burden on employers, additional funding to support students access placements and the offer of intensive support for providers, where this is required.