Last year, Bolton College started offering the new T Level qualifications and a year on, the College celebrated National T Levels Week.

Monday 10th to Friday 14th October marked the week - a celebration of T Levels, qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds, taken after GCSEs.

T Levels are broadly equivalent to three A Levels and focus on technical and vocational skills, helping students into skilled employment, higher study or Apprenticeships.

This year, Bolton College introduced additional T Levels in Management & Administration, Digital Support Services, Digital Business Services and Engineering & Manufacturing.

Next September will see the launch of even more T Levels, including Professional Catering, Accounting, Finance, Legal Services, Barbering, Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Media, Broadcast & Production and Craft & Design.  

These pioneering qualifications have been designed in collaboration with leading employers, providing the skills that businesses across the region need.

The subject areas on offer reflect some of the top business growth areas such as digital skills, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and management and administration.

T Levels are unique as they combine classroom study with industry placements so young people gain valuable work experience in their chosen sector.

Many businesses, including Bowmer + Kirkland and Bethell, are embracing T Levels as a great way to bring in new ideas and the latest skills, and a new way to find, nurture and secure young talent.

T Level student Chloe Ott is studying a Digital Production, Design & Development T Level at Bolton College and will start a placement at Hewlett Packard this year.

After graduating Chloe hopes to progress to university and pursue a career as a software developer in the gaming industry.

Chloe said: “I’m thoroughly enjoying my course and love the variety of topics it covers and I’m looking forward to putting the skills I’ve learnt in the classroom into practice in my placement at Hewlett Packard.”

Kate Wallace, an Assistant Principal at Bolton College, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be amongst the first providers in the country to offer these brilliant new qualifications, and it has been fantastic to see how they have been embraced by young people.

“I’m excited to see our first cohort of students build on their successes from last year and to have welcomed a further cohort of students and launched new courses in September - we’re delighted to be celebrating

National T Levels Week.”

The College is staging a T Levels Open Day on Thursday 20^th October at their Deane Road Campus between 5pm and 8pm. To register for the event, click here. 

To learn more about T Levels at Bolton College click here.

The Get the Jump content hub on the National Careers Service website has, in one place, all the education and training choices available to young people who are taking their next step, including further information on T Levels.

Whether you know what you want to do yet or not, knowing your education, training and work choices is a great place to start. Search Get the Jump to find out more.