T-Levels

Georgia Pirelli - T-Level Work Placement Coordinator

Georgia joined Derwentside College in January 2024 as our T-Level Work Placement Coordinator.  Georgia was a previous apprentice with the college and completed her Level 3 Early Years Education qualification in 2015.  

As the T-Level Work Placement Coordinator, Georgia will play a pivotal role in facilitating high-quality work placements for learners who are enrolled in T-Level programmes.  She will work closely with educational institutions, industry partners, and learners to ensure all have a successful placement experience. 

Georgia is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining relationships with employers, overseeing the placement process, and providing support to both learners and employers throughout the placement period.

T-Levels are new 2-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A Levels.

These courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or higher education.

T-Levels offer students practical and knowledge-based learning as well as on-the-job experience through an industry placement.

T-Levels are high-level qualifications that are academically rigorous, but also involve practical experience.  For this reason, any qualification of the same level holds just as much weight as the T-Level.

They are Level 3 courses which follow on from your GCSEs.  One T-Level is equivalent to 3 A-Levels.

T-Levels are Career focused enabling you to:

• Gain industry experience
• Get a nationally recognised qualification
• Earn UCAS points
• Get real knowledge of your chosen career
• Build vital skills, such as teamwork and communication for your future career

T-Levels are a new qualification created by the UK government in association with industry and businesses across the country, intended to cultivate the key skills needed in the workforce.  They specialise in a certain topic, and then within that topic specialise again into an industry specialism.  This specialisation means that your career progression is more applied to the type of work you would like after finishing your T-Level, giving your career-specific skills. 

This is part of what makes the T-Level so valuable to employers.

GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English Language at grade 5

You’ll spend 80% of your time in the classroom and 20% on a 45-day placement with an employer to give you the skills and knowledge.

Your industry placement gives you the chance to learn what a real career is like while you continue your studies.

You will gain separate grades for each component that you cover, and these will be assessed based on coursework, written examinations, group work, employer set project, professional discussions and other similar methods, varying slightly based on the course you are taking.

When you pass your T-Level, you will get a nationally recognised certificate showing the overall grade you have achieved - pass, merit, distinction, or distinction*.

The certificate will also state that the industry placement requirement has been met and that the certificate holder has achieved Level 2 maths and English qualifications.  These make the qualification holder attractive as a well-rounded candidate for employers, but also impressive to universities.

A T-Level grade carries a certain number of UCAS points that are equivalent to 3 grades at A-Levels.  With this qualification you can move into skilled employment, higher apprenticeship, or a higher education course at university.

From September 2023 you will be able to study:

• T-Levels (Technical Certificate) Education and Childcare, Early Years Educator

From September 2024 you will be able to study:

• T-Levels (Technical Certificate) Engineering
• T-Levels (Technical Certificate) Digital Technology

There are no tuition fees to study a T-Level if you start before you are 19.

The College provides a range of financial support to assist learners undertaking a programme of study.  The support is designed to help learners with the greatest financial needs and is subject to specific eligibility criteria being met. 

For further information regarding financial support and the eligibility criteria please read the Student Finance Information.

You can apply for support by downloading the Application for Financial Assistance and once completed, please submit along with the required evidence, which can be scanned or screenshot to financial.support@derwentside.ac.uk alternatively, print off the forms complete and submit with the required evidence to the Finance Department. 

Should you have any queries regarding Financial Support you can contact Caroline Swainson on 01207 585 971 or email caroline.swainson@derwentside.ac.uk

Please click here to access the College's Financial Support for Learners Policy.

Learning support is available for anyone who has a disability or learning difficulty and is tailored to individual support requirements.

Please speak to your course tutor if you feel you would benefit from an assessment or for further information, please contact the college on 01207 585 900.