Tech Ed Study: End-of-course survey of the second T Level cohort

About the study

Ongoing reforms to technical education, guided by recommendations in the 2016 Sainsbury review, are designed to improve the quality of technical education and therefore the technical skills needed to boost productivity in the UK economy.

A key aspect of these reforms is the introduction of T Levels: two-year level 3 technical courses which offer learners an alternative to existing study options after GCSEs. The second cohort of T Level learners began their programmes in autumn 2021.

This report is based on surveys carried out in 2023 covering five different learner groups at the end of their course: T Level learners, T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) Learners, Level 3 technical learners, A level learners, Level 4 and 5 learners. 

One questionnaire was used for all learner groups, with routing to filter respondents to relevant questions. The questionnaire collected detailed information in the following areas for all learners:

• Experiences of the programme, including the format of delivery and how manageable and challenging learners found courses
• Short-term outcomes, including perceptions of how the programme helped learners to develop skills and knowledge and planned next steps into further education and work

Questions related to the following areas were asked only to Level 4 and 5 learners:

• Employment situation, including what learners had been doing prior to their programme.
• Programme funding, including whether cost and funding options influenced their decision to take their programme.

This wave of the study achieved a final response rate of 46% (6,849 productive interviews).

Findings

• Almost all T Level learners (94%) completed the required industry placement by the end of their programme. A quarter of T Level learners (25%) completed a placement of fewer than 300 hours.
• Most placements (79%) related directly to the learners’ occupational specialism.
• Most learners were satisfied with their placement (78%) and felt it met their expectations.
• Lack of study materials was the most common barrier to learning for T Levels, reported by 42% of learners, and 65% of Health and Science learners.
• A small majority of T Level learners were satisfied with their programme (57%) and likely to recommend it (51%).
• Most T Level learners (78%) planned to undertake further study, most commonly through a degree (41%) or an apprenticeship (25%) – next steps were similar across T Level and level 3 technical learners.
• 51% of Level 4 or 5 learners worked alongside their course; the key reasons for learners choosing level 4 and 5 programmes were an interest in the area (56%), upskilling in the same line of work (35%), and to increase earnings (30%).
• Most Level 4 or 5 learners were taught entirely or mostly in-person, representing an increase of in-person teaching compared to the previous cohort of level 4 and 5 learners (85% compared with 58%).
• The most commonly reported barriers to learning for Level 4 and 5 learners were family responsibilities (26%) and working part-time (23%).
• About three quarters of Level 4 and 5 learners were satisfied with their course (77%) and likely to recommend it (73%).