Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that businesses understand the value of the new T Level qualifications before their implementation in 2020.

With longer hours and meaningful industry placements, T levels will provide employers with the future skilled workforce they need to thrive. We have placed employers at the heart of T level development and implementation. We have extended the remit of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to promote awareness of T levels and industry placements with a wide range of employers – the NAS has worked with and gained the interest of nearly 10,000 employers in 2018/19. The NAS also work with business representative networks and recently held a T levels Twitter panel with myself and the Federation of Small Businesses.

In addition, T level panel members, responsible for developing T level content, have become strong advocates for T levels. Many of these members are now part of the T level Ambassadors Network - a network of business advocates endorsing T levels on a regional and national basis.