29 Mar ‘T-levels’: The New Childcare Qualification
What are the advantages of T-Levels?
- A clearer path to employment for students
- Prioritises practicality over written tests
- Provides greater stability for young people leaving education
- Creates opportunities for 16-year olds to have more study choices than ever before.
- Builds students confidence and self esteem
- Offered in 50 colleges and schools through England
What are the disadvantages of T-levels?
- Universities require A-level qualifications
- The potential to restrict yourself to one vocation
- Potentially limits further education opportunities
T-levels have been created by employers to support the next generation. The qualification equates to three A-levels.. By taking a T-level you will spend 80% of your time in the classroom and 20% of your time putting your skills to test in the workplace. Furthermore, it is a requirement to spend some time in an industry placement, in order to enhance your skills and experience.
T-Levels are a two-year technical programme, designed with employers, to give young people the skills that industries need. The ‘T‘ stands for technical and from 2020, T-Levels will give 16 to 19 -year olds a technical alternative to A-levels.
T-levels follow GCSEs and are an advanced level 2-year technical qualification designed to give employers a head start towards their future career. The qualification equips students with core knowledge and skills relevant to educational and childcare and helps them reach employers expectations. On the educational and childcare level, you will learn a whole range of topics on how to be successful in your career. Some of these topics include supporting education, parents, families and carers and the well-being of others.
The T-Level will include the following compulsory elements:
- A technical qualification covering core knowledge and skills (0-19) and specialist skills and knowledge
- A minimum standard in maths and English
- A work placement
Learners who successfully achieve the Early Years Education and Childcare occupational specialism will be counted in the employment ratios for childcare. This qualification is suitable for post-16 students looking to develop both knowledge and practical skills in the education and childcare sector.
This technical qualification will support students on a range of progression routes including employment, higher education and higher apprenticeships. Students who achieve this qualification could progress to the following, depending on their chosen occupational specialism:
• Employment
• Higher education
• Apprenticeship
Each timetable is organised by each curriculum. Therefore, these do vary between each T-level. If you decide to leave after the first year of the T-Level you will receive a credit certificates from the award body that recognises your achievements for the first year.
How is it assessed?
Core component:
• Paper A written examination
• Paper B written examination
• Employer-set project
In order to achieve a grade for core components, students must have results for both sub-components (the core (written) examination and the employer-set project).
The combined results from these sub-components will be aggregated to form the overall core component grade (A*–E and U).
If students fail to reach the minimum standard across all sub-components, they will receive a U grade. No overall grade will be issued for the core component until both sub-components have been attempted.
Education is one of the largest educational sectors in the world. The need for a skilled and passionate workforce in the early years continues to be crucial as high-quality early years provision can have a lasting impact on children’s development.
There is a real shortage of qualified practitioners in the sector so hopefully the T-level will provide another avenue into this very important and much needed sector.
By Chloe Bookatz
Source: Gov.uk