With just under a week to go until AS and A-Level students right across the country receive their results, many Oxfordshire businesses will be thinking about how they can recruit talented new employees – including those companies who have created training and apprenticeship opportunities.
What’s just as important is the need for businesses to understand the range of qualifications that young people will have access to both now and in the coming years.
The past academic year has seen the phasing-in of an altered A-Level structure to a further 20 subjects. AS Levels and A-Levels now form two entirely separate qualifications – as opposed to AS levels contributing to 50% of the A-Level grade.
In the grand scheme of things, these changes are minimal. Alongside this, the Department for Education (DfE) continues to focus much of its attention on the introduction of ‘T-Levels’ – due to be introduced in 2020.
T-Levels plan to directly influence our future workforce – as well as our wider economy – as the qualifications aim to also help boost UK productivity.
Set out in the Chancellor’s autumn statement, T-Levels are currently being developed. It will place technical courses on an ‘equal footing’ with traditional academic qualifications, such as A-Levels.
T-Levels will compact vocational studies into 15 main routes, including childcare, construction, engineering and manufacturing. They will also bring more focus on to ‘practical’ ways of learning.
By introducing T-Levels, there is an intention that ‘manual expertise’ will be taken more seriously as credible career choices and – as students will receive more training hours through this qualification route – the hope is that, in turn, UK productivity can grow.
The DfE announced at the end of May the first 54 colleges and post-16 education providers due to teach the inaugural three courses being introduced in September 2020 – with a further 22 being rolled out in intervals from 2021.
Job applications – over the next five years in-particular – are likely to feature a combination of qualifications, with a T-Level pass set to be the equivalent to three A-Level passes and a Level-3 BTEC.
In the short-term, it is our businesses and future recruitment activity that are likely to be affected. It is therefore essential for businesses to prepare for these changes and understand what it will mean for them as an organisation.
For more information on work experience opportunities, click here.
To read our blog on GCSE grade changes, click here.
