T-Level placements at county's hospitals
Young people in Gloucestershire are being offered the opportunity to gain valuable real-life experience when they participate in T-Level placements at county hospitals.
Gloucestershire Hospitals is working closely with Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) to offer industry placements to students studying for new T-Level courses at Gloucestershire College.
Launched by the government in 2020, T-Levels are regarded as one of the biggest reforms to technical education; students can opt to take these courses instead of A-Levels following their GCSE exams. They were developed in collaboration with employers and businesses to ensure that the content of the courses meets the needs of employers while preparing students for work, further training or study.
As a 2-year technical programme for young people aged 16 – 19, industry placements are a mandatory and critical part of a T-Level and demonstrate a shift from traditional work experience to a longer, more substantial period in the workplace. Gloucestershire College began offering the Health & Science – Adult Nursing T-Level from this September and both NHS Trusts will be hosting placements for these students from spring next year.
Lisa Ferris Wood, Apprenticeships and Careers Team Manager at Gloucestershire Hospitals said: “At first, we will be running T-Level placements as a pilot to see how as an employer we can support these students on industry placements with a view to inspiring them to work for our local NHS Trusts.”
Stacey Robinson, Gloucestershire Health and Care Apprenticeship and Widening Access Lead, added: “One of the key benefits of T-Levels is that students may decide to progress straight into a job, enter an apprenticeship or choose to use the UCAS tariff points they gain to apply for a university course. The industry placement element of T-Levels means that young people leave education better prepared to be successful and productive in the workplace”.
Both Trusts want to ensure that they give these young people the right level of support while showcasing what we do and opening their eyes to the careers that could be open to them in the future. We hope that the experience they gain on placement will motivate these students to become part of the county’s future NHS workforce.