Reaseheath College is among leading educational institutions to benefit from a 10% funding boost to support T Level roll out, announced by the government earlier this year.
The funding, worth around £30 million in the 2023-24 academic year, has been provided nationally in recognition of the extra cost which training providers face during the changeover from other study programmes to T Levels.
The money is supporting Reaseheath as we expand our T Level offer, which in turn will ensure our students gain the essential skills and industry experience they need to progress in key sectors. Currently we offer T Levels in on-site construction, design, surveying and planning, management and administration, food science, land-based engineering, tree and woodland management, and livestock production. Over the next couple of years, we will also introduce T Levels in animal care and management, and equine care and management. T Levels are the equivalent of three A levels.
The funding includes a new Employer Support Fund – worth up to £12 million – to support industry placements, a core part of the T Level qualification. Both students and employers benefit from T Level industry placements; young people gain the industry-specific skills they need to succeed and employers shape their future workforce to meet the needs of their business.
Reaseheath is already a leader at building industry partnerships and our allocation of this funding is helping us to further expand our network of supporting businesses.
Further grants are available to boost careers guidance in schools and colleges, so all students have a good understanding of T Levels and their benefits. The grants help pay for in-house careers guidance sessions, taster days with employers, and the development of resources to help students understand the range of progression routes available to them on completion of their T Level.
An additional £80 million Specialist Equipment Allocation has been made available to providers such as Reaseheath delivering new T Levels in 2023.
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said: “T Levels are a key rung on the ladder of opportunity, as they allow students to combine classroom based learning with valuable hands-on industry placements.
“As the cohort continues to grow year on year, it is great news that extra support is being delivered to schools, colleges and employers to enable them to meet this increasing demand and provide training of the highest quality to their students.
“Whether students then choose to progress onto an apprenticeship or into higher education or skilled employment, they can be assured that a T Level will set them on the path to success.”
Reaseheath Principal and CEO Marcus Clinton said: “We hugely welcome this extra funding to support these exciting new T Level qualifications, which deliver a high level of employability skills and enable our students to truly stand out in the jobs market.
“We are actively developing a forward looking, leading edge curriculum with increased emphasis on sustainability, innovation and industry ready skills. It is reassuring that the announcement indicates that we are exactly in alignment with government policy.
“This funding will ensure our T Level students receive the highest standard of teaching and support in the very best environment and that our collaboration with our many business partners will continue to strengthen.”
Reaseheath College has already received £1.9 million in government support to provide an Innovation Hub within its Construction Department. The new hub consists of a purpose built joinery workshop and three new classrooms which include a state of the art IT suite. An additional £290,000 is being spent on specialist equipment including 3D imaging.
T Level Management and Administration students have benefitted from an £80,000 refurbishment of dedicated classrooms which provide an additional collaborative working space and top of the range IT equipment.
Learn more at: www.reaseheath.ac.uk/t-levels
