T Levels will have the same UCAS points as three A Levels.  This has now been confirmed by the Education Secretary as he set out the government’s latest decisions on T Levels.

In what’s being mooted as a defining speech, Damian Hinds provided details of updates to the DfE’s T Levels action plan, which included plans for UCAS points for T Levels. “I want T Level students that want to, to be able to go to university to do relevant technical degrees”, he announced, confirming that the government is stepping up engagement with Higher Education Institutions to find out how they might use T Levels for admissions purposes now that the outline content for the first T Levels has been published. Further discussions are taking place with UCAS to identify how points will be awarded per T Level pass, merit or distinction grade.

The updated T Level action plan provides progress on the policy development and implementation of T Levels and includes details of:

• The next seven T Level programmes to be taught from 2021:
  • Digital Support and Services T Level (Digital)
  • Digital Business Services T Level (Digital)
  • Onsite Construction T Level (Construction)
  • Building Services Engineering T Level (Construction)
  • Health T Level (Health and Science)
  • Healthcare Science T Level (Health and Science)
  • Science T Level (Health and Science).

In a change to the original action plan, T Levels in Legal, Financial and Accounting and Engineering and Manufacturing will now be introduced a year later from 2022 onwards.

• An updated list of providers who will offer T Levels from 2020 and beyond, now showing the pathways they intend to offer.
• The evaluation of the industry placement pilots which ran during 2017/18 and tested different approaches to better understand what a meaningful placement looks like, and how to overcome the initial challenges of planning and implementation.
• Support for “a new generation of Higher Technical Qualifications” - a system of employer-led national standards for higher technical education. These existing and new qualifications will be in place from 2022 – ready for the first T Level students who have completed their two-year course. A consultation will follow in 2019 on how this approach will be delivered
• The reform of the pupil destination performance measure to show how many young people go on to study degrees, higher technical apprenticeships or higher technical qualifications.
• Support for skills advisory panels. These local partnerships between public and private sector employers, local authorities, colleges and universities will assess what skills are needed in the local area. Every area will produce a local industrial strategy so that colleges are incentivised to develop skills that match local labour market needs.

Damian Hinds also promised more details of the transition year offer early in 2019, for those students not quite ready to start T Levels at age 16.