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T-Level industry placements – Increasing capacity with a system wide approach
Julie Miller, T-level Development Manager at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, writes about the need for a system-wide approach to the implementation of industry placements in the public sector.
Since the government announced its plans to revolutionise skills and technical education for young people, employers and providers have worked together through the Capacity and Delivery Fund and first waves of T-level delivery to establish models for industry placements.
In work commissioned by Gatsby Education and undertaken by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, we are exploring why many are choosing a system wide approach delivery model above the rest.
Despite the pandemic, many employers have forged ahead with plans for T-level industry placements in Health and Healthcare science since the new qualifications began delivery in September. Many colleges report having secured small numbers of health-related T-level industry placements directly from their local NHS trusts and social care providers.
In a few areas, including Leeds, Sussex and Lancashire, acute trusts, integrated care organisations, councils, primary care, ambulance services and the voluntary sector are opening channels of communication with further and higher education providers to develop a system wide approach to placements.
The reported benefits of this approach include:
- Equitable industry placement access for students
- Standardised system for provider and employer processes and documentation
- A wider insight for students into health and social care careers
- Increased industry placement capacity
Jill Durrant, T-level Project Manager for Sussex Health and Care Partnership (ICS) says:
The establishment of a T-level working group within SHCP has helped in the development of important relationships between employers and providers so that we are all working together for a common goal, supporting young people in gaining a high-quality industry placement which will in turn support our future talent pipelines.
Our research will culminate in a report to be published in Spring 2022. Meanwhile, examples of innovative T-level industry placement delivery, and resources developed by employers in health organisations, are being collated on the Skills for Health T-level webpage.
This is a continuing evolving resource, so be sure to bookmark it and check back regularly for updates.
If you have experience of industry placement delivery in the public sector and have any T-level documentation, best practice or great ideas that you would like to share with colleagues across the country, please get in touch and they will be reviewed for inclusion.
For further examples of industry placement provision, visit our Improving Technical Education website, to watch video testimonies from students, employers and providers