The first students who took T-Levels got their results.
The new specialist qualification started in 2020 with courses in the areas of education and childcare; design, surveying and planning; and digital production, approved by 1,029 students in England.
This year, 92% of students achieved at least a pass, and 71% of the 370 who applied for a university course have been successful so far.
Many others have already secured an apprenticeship or job.
This is reported by the Institute for Vocational Training and Technical Education.
As of September, 16 T-Level subjects are available and more will be introduced over the next few years, including Accounting, Agriculture and Engineering.
However, there is some concern that more BTecs will be clipped to avoid overlap.
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Denzel, 18, who completed T-Levels in digital production, said he felt his group were “the pioneers of this course.”
He told the BBC it was very different from secondary school where you follow a curriculum and “there were no textbooks”.
Although he says the course was a bit “hit and miss” at first because it was new, he and his classmates ended up enjoying it and have now “mastered” it for the next batch of new students.
Denzel said an internship at coding company Vector Ltd gave him a real sense of what the world of work will be like.
He was awarded a merit and is going to the University of Hull to study software engineering.
T-Levels or Technical Levels were developed together with employers and are accepted by 120 universities.
Details on the T levels include:
- These are two-year courses
- A T-Level corresponds to three A-Levels
- They consist of 80% classroom instruction and 20% industrial placements
- Internships at least 315 hours (approx. 45 days)
- Students are awarded a passing, merit, honors or award*
There are concerns that funding for some BTec qualifications will be scrapped in favor of the new T levels.
BTecs – Business and Technology Education Council qualifications – are largely assessed through hands-on learning.
The ProtectStudentChoice campaign, which involves 30 organizations including the National Union of Students and the Association of School and College Leaders, says many young people will continue to be better served studying a BTec degree than just an A -Level or T-Level study program.
An Education Ministry spokesman said: “Students can continue to study BTecs and other applied general qualifications if they meet new quality criteria and support progression to good results.”
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