The Institute will, in 2018, begin to take on responsibilities from the Department for Education (DfE) for technical education and administering the new T level qualifications. Part of this early work involves categorising occupations into groups which demand similar knowledge, skills and behaviours – the resulting ‘occupational maps’ will help provide a structure around which the T level curriculum will be built.
Ownership of the occupational maps has transferred to the Institute and we are now seeking views on how they might be improved. Input from employers, awarding bodies, teachers and further education specialists and all involved in technical education will help the Institute create a robust basis upon which T levels can flourish.
Speaking ahead of the consultation launch Antony Jenkins, Chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships said:
“These maps will not only help provide the context in which T levels apply to different industries and occupations, but also help determine the skills and training expected to be delivered as part of each separate qualification. It all starts here.
“We need the views of everyone involved at all stages of technical education and employment, from the classroom to the boardroom. I urge everyone to make their voice heard and work with us to help create a truly world-class technical education system.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "T levels will help to deliver a world class technical education system in our country and make sure that young people have the skills that employers and our economy need.
"This consultation is another step forward in introducing the 15 new technical routes which will bring together the expertise of industry, employers and education specialists. We would very much welcome views from the sector to develop this important stage of delivering T levels."
Daniela Florea of Geo Strategies Ltd, which is based in St John's Innovation Centre, is working with the DfE and the Institute for Apprenticeships on the formulation and creation of these T-Level qualifications for digital services. She adds:
"The particular focus of my Panel is Data and Business Services and my personal mission relates to data. One aspect of what we are moving towards is to differentiate data skills from general IT skills as we believe that the IT ‘umbrella’ is putting many young people off from a career for which they may be eminently capable. So, to ensure that the qualifications meet the needs of the sector, I urge you to go online and take part in the consultation. Please don’t miss this opportunity to explain what you (as a member of the sector) require. "
The consultation will last six weeks, closing on 25 January.
Find the public consultation here.
Further information for the web
- There are 15 different occupational maps
- The maps show ‘occupations’ – not qualifications or specific jobs
- The maps capture technical occupations which require substantive training and have been grouped with occupations that share similar knowledge, skills and behaviours
- All apprenticeships are included in these maps as occupations
- An occupation occurs only once on the maps
- Titles of apprenticeship standards are fixed and cannot be changed until a broader review of the standard takes place
- The occupational maps are live documents and will change as proposals for new apprenticeship standards are approved and to reflect the outcomes of any reviews
A Department for Education consultation on the implementation of T level programmes is currently open. The consultation closes 8 February 2018.
https://consult.education.gov.uk/technical-education/implementation-of-t-level-programmes/