More work is needed to highlight awareness of T Level, says a new report from EngineeringUK.

The organisation says while T Levels have the potential to deliver the much-needed skilled engineering workforce in the UK, its new report says awareness among young people and employers is surprisingly low.

The report - Anyone for T? Awareness of T Levels in England - finds only 37% of young people surveyed (aged 11 to 18) have heard of T Levels.

Awareness levels were also found to vary by age group. Just over a third (35%) of 14 to 16-year-olds and 16 to 18-year-olds respectively said they knew what T Levels are, however, this drops to only 30% of those aged 11 to 14.

When it comes to parents, awareness levels were found to be even lower. Just 27% of parents surveyed said they have heard of T Levels and only 18% of parents surveyed say they know a lot/a fair amount about T Levels. 

T Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to three A Levels. These two-year courses, which launched in September 2020, have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry while preparing students for work, further training or further study.

With so much potential, T Levels are being put under the spotlight at this weeks’ Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, which is now in its 10th year and runs until November 11. 

Organised by EngineeringUK, the event aims to shine a spotlight on engineering, engineering careers and engineering professionals. 

Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, said: “T Levels offer young people a fantastic route into highly rewarding engineering, technology and technician careers, and they also hold huge potential to help with tackling the skilled engineering workforce shortage. 

“However, it’s clear that a great deal more needs to be done to enhance awareness and understanding – which is why we’re shining a spotlight on T levels during Tomorrow's Engineers Week.”

Meryl Cotton, T Level manager at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, added: “T Levels offer a great new option for students who enjoy classroom learning but also want to gain vital industry experience. 

“Our students out on industry placement this week are with small and large local employers who are investing in the future talent their sector needs.”

Figures from EngineeringUK show there are higher levels of awareness among employers – with 72% of employers surveyed saying they are aware of T levels. 

But less than a third (28%) of employers surveyed say they have both heard of T Levels and understand what they involve. 

Plus 32% of employers surveyed say lack of knowledge is a barrier to offering placements. 

This highlights more needs to be done to enhance understanding, particularly if the sector is to reach the target of 43,500 industry placements by 2024/25.

Click here to read the report Anyone for T? Awareness of T Levels in England

Click here to find out more about Tomorrow’s Engineers Week