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To find out engineering employer's views on T Level placements 

The EDT has been commissioned by the Gatsby Foundation to find out employers’ views on industry placements for students being introduced as part of the Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels from 2022.

T Levels are a new two-year qualification for 16 to 19-year olds. Designed with employers, each T Level is equivalent to 3 A levels and will help young people develop the knowledge, behaviours, and practical skills to thrive in the workplace.

At the heart of each course, is an industry placement lasting for a minimum of 315 hours (approximately 45 days). The structure and objectives of the placement are agreed between the employer and the student’s college. For example, a placement may be on a day-release model, or the student may spend a year in college and then undertake all of their placement in the second year of their course. Industry placements are being trialled ahead of the introduction of T Levels.

More information about industry placements is available here:   https://employerindustryplacements.co.uk/

We would like to hear from you to understand employer considerations relating to hosting industry placements. Responses will be used to inform support for engineering and manufacturing employers to offer industry placements.

Due to Education being a devolved issue T Levels are only being introduced in England, so we are currently just looking for those employers with sites in England. 

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* 1. What size is your organisation?

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* 2. What best describes your role within your organisation?

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* 3. Where in England does your organisation operate (please select all that apply)?

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* 4. Where in England are you based (if multiple, where you usually spend most of your time)?

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* 5. How is your organisation structured?

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* 6. Which area of engineering does your organisation operate in? (please select all that apply)

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* 7. How would you rate your awareness of T level placements before taking this survey?

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* 8. When considering hosting placements, are the issues below a concern for your organisation?

  Not at all concerned Slightly concerned Moderately concerned Very Concerned May stop us supporting placements in the future
Work readiness of students
Relevance of course content
Maths content of courses
Health and Safety on site
Under 18s operating machinery/ being on site
Security/ data security concerns
Supervision required
Ability to offer meaningful placement content
Increases in home working / flexibility making on-boarding/ supervision more difficult in the future
Other post-Covid uncertainties
Wanting to concentrate on other early careers pathways

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* 9. Do you think there are any other concerns/ barriers to your organisation offering T Level placements?

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* 10. Have you accessed the resources available via https://employerindustryplacements.co.uk/ before taking this survey?

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* 11. How useful would you find these potential sources of support?

  Not at all useful Slightly useful Moderately useful Very useful Extremely useful 
More/clearer information on T Level qualifications
A clear articulation of how T Levels map against current early career routes
Support to plan progression pathways from T Levels into your organisation
A forum for employers to share best practice
Better access to information from education providers
Sharing of case studies/ best practice from pilot placements and first wave of T Levels from 2020

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* 12. Is there any other support you think would be useful?

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* 13. Does your organisation currently offer apprenticeships?

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* 14. If yes, at what level apprenticeships do you offer (please select all that apply)

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* 15. What percentage of the apprenticeships you offer are taken up by 16-19-year olds?

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* 16. Do you see T Levels as a route onto your apprenticeship programmes?

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* 17. How is the demand on your current apprenticeship programmes?

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* 18. Are you/ were you looking to expand your apprenticeship programme over the next few years?

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* 19. Do you think by offering T Level placements this would lead you to reduce opportunities in other areas, i.e. work experience, internships?

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* 20. Some of the potential benefits of offering industry placements are listed below. How important are these in considering T Level placements in your organisation?

  Not at all important  Slightly important  Moderately important  Very important  Extremely important 
Adding new ideas/ energising existing teams
Support with current workloads
Adding to diversity in the workforce (candidates who may not normally apply for apprenticeships/ graduate opportunities)
Spotting talented individuals
Adding to the pipeline for future employees
Staff development – opportunities to supervise or train the student
Contributing to the local community/ CSR
Giving young people a clear understanding of career opportunities within the sector

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* 21. Are there any other benefits that you can think of?

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* 22. Do you have any further comments you would like to make?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

For more information on T levels - https://employerindustryplacements.co.uk/

For more information on EDT - https://www.etrust.org.uk/

For more information on the Gatsby Foundation - https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education

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