T LEVEL INDUSTRY PLACEMENT STUDENTS
If you are aged 16-18 years old and undertaking a T Level qualification at Sparsholt or Andover College campuses then you will undertake a mandatory industry placement as an integral part of your course requirement with us.
Why placements work:
Some of the key benefits when undertaking an industry placement alongside your studies, includes:
- Opportunity to develop practical, technical and professional skills in a real working environment that directly relates to the course you are studying
- Improve your employability skills such as Communication, Team Working and Problem Solving
- Working alongside an experienced work force to learn new skills
- See your industry in action and identify the skills needed to succeed in that industry
- Experience different settings and pathways to make meaningful decisions about your future employment and career
- Build relationships to secure potential job or apprenticeship opportunities
All students undertaking a T Level qualification must complete minimum placement hours with an external organisation in order to meet a sufficient standard of both employability and technical skills in the workplace. T Levels at Andover Campus include:
- Health – Adult Nursing; Mental Health
- Education & Childcare – Early Years Educator
- Management & Administration – Business Support
- Digital Production, Design & Development
- Engineering – (Design & Development for Engineering & Manufacturing) Electrical/ Electronic Engineering; Mechanical Engineering
- Automotive – Maintenance, Installation & Repair: Light & Electric Vehicle
- Media, Broadcast & Production
The majority of T Level qualifications require students to complete a minimum of 315 (Students studying a T Level in Education & Childcare (Early Years Educator) are required to complete a minimum of 750 hours in placement) hours with an employer or voluntary organisation across the two years of their programme – which equates to 45 days of 7 hour days.
Students will be set employability and technical skills development objectives linked to key tasks they will undertake in the workplace and these will relate to students’ core learning in College and/or their occupational specialism and pathway within their T Level course.
No. Students will also need to evidence sufficient progress towards their learning objectives – both employability and technical skills, which is why there is a minimum hours requirement to support this development. Each student will have an Industry Placement Agreement which will contain all the relevant details pertaining to their placement – e.g. Employer and Student information and contact details, including parent information where a student is under 18 years of age; Learning Objectives linked to both employability and technical skills to be developed in the workplace; Work tasks that will enable students opportunity to evidence progress against those learning objectives.
All students are encouraged to exceed the minimum hours set for their T Level course, in order to gain as much industry experience as possible. Some learners will develop those workplace skills at a quicker pace than others, and it is for the Employer and Industry Placement team to work with the student to ensure they can evidence that progress before any placement completion can be signed off.
Across the two years of your T Level course at the College you will provided with weekly group and academic tutorials led by your progress coach and/or academic tutor. During the first two terms in Year 1, you will undertake work-readiness preparation sessions to develop your employability skills and prepare you for your placement. Some students will be confident to start their placement sooner than others, and the College encourages its T Level students to start placement sometime in Term 1 where possible. For students not able to secure and start their placement in Term 1, an individual support plan will be agreed with each student from Term 2 to ensure this happens as soon as is possible, so that all students can benefit from gaining industry experience to complement their course studies in-year, and start to work towards achieving the minimum hours on placement and developing appropriate workplace skills.
The Industry Placement team must visit and sign off any new placements for T Level students before the placement can officially start. Therefore, any applicants looking to secure their industry placement prior to starting their T Level course, could do so, but under their own responsibility until such times as the College can verify the suitability and safety of the organisation to count as a student’s official placement.
- Think about what type of employers or voluntary organisations you would like to have a placement with
- Consider your ‘travel-to-work’ area – how far can you travel from home or college to get to placement? How will you get to your placement? What mode of transport?
Read through the resource pack – “T Level Student Guide – preparing for your industry placement“
Our Industry Placement team will be in touch with all applicants from late May/early June onwards prior to a potential September College course start date to make contact, agree actions for you to start researching and contacting employers. We strongly recommend you review the student guide here.
Get in touch with the Industry Placement team on ip@sparsholt.ac.uk, if:
- you already work part-time within a related industry to your proposed T Level course and want this to be considered for your placement
- you have already contacted an employer that is keen to know more about the industry placement requirements
- you want to ask a question about your placement or require guidance/support regarding this
Grofar is the software the College uses to manage industry placements and track your progress. You will have access to Grofar as a student of Sparsholt & Andover College once you start with us, and will be able to keep a record of your hours worked, experiences and skills development towards the targets of your industry placement. This whole record will be yours to keep and is great evidence to show to potential employers when applying for jobs after college.
Grofar works on any device: smartphone, computer or tablet. To easily access Grofar on your device, add the Grofar homepage to your Home Screen. You gain access to the Grofar Student Portal using your college Microsoft login details – once you have been inducted at the college.
We already work with a fantastic range of employers and voluntary organisations who have been offering industry placements to our students. We have some great case studies with previous and current students that demonstrate the real benefits of getting involved. Our Industry Placement team will be able to support and guide you through the process from the start and can help you secure the right employer or voluntary organisation to suit your needs.
No doubt you will have some questions about the industry placement programme and so we’ve put together some common questions and answers to help you.
Is it mandatory to participate in an Industry Placement?
If you are enrolled onto a T Level qualification, then this is a mandatory component part of the course and has great benefits to developing your workplace skills related to your course.
Can I use an existing employer or voluntary organisation that I am involved with, as my Industry Placement?
If the employer or voluntary organisation is working in a similar industry or sector to your main programme of study, then this is possible, yes. Get in touch with the Industry Placement team to find out.
Is there any financial help that the College can provide me if I participate in an Industry Placement?
The College have provided financial support to students in the past regarding their course and industry placement where they have met certain financial criteria. If you feel this is a significant barrier to you engaging with a placement, then please get in touch with the Industry Placement team to discuss this further.
I have a current Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) or SEND need. Do I have to participate in an Industry Placement this year?
If you are enrolled onto a T Level qualification, then this is a mandatory component part of the course and has great benefits to developing your workplace skills related to your course. You might be able to complete some of your industry placement hours within College facilities, dependent on the T Level course. You will be able to gain support via the Industry Placement team, along with your Progress Coach and Learning Support staff to support you to a secure a suitable placement opportunity to meet your personal and employability needs. Please get in touch to discuss this further.
Can I source my own Industry Placement?
Yes. The Industry Placement team would need to verify with the employer or voluntary organisation that it would be relevant to your main programme of study, and that it was a safe environment to complete your Industry Placement.
I don’t have an employer or voluntary organisation in mind for my Industry Placement. Where do I start, and what help can I get?
Employers and Voluntary Organisations are keen to hear from prospective students directly, and the College support a ‘student-led’ approach to identifying and approaching employers for placement opportunities. You know your home area the best and are hopefully best placed to know who to contact. However, the Industry Placement team are happy to support you with this process where you need help.
Can I use multiple placements across a number of employers and voluntary organisations to complete my Industry Placement this year?
You can have up to a maximum of two employers or voluntary organisations that will help you complete your Industry Placement hours. This gives you a chance to test out several career pathways in line with your study programme or different types of employers in the same pathway or environment.
Do I have to use the 1-day a week timetabled into College term times to complete my Industry Placement?
Every student will be encouraged to use this timetabled day for attendance at their Industry Placement. However, there is opportunity to ‘swap’ your timetabled placement day for a day(s) on the weekend where you can still attend placement while keeping up to date with your college work and other commitments.
I will be a residential student when I start with Sparsholt College and live on campus during term time. Do I have to attend a placement each week?
We strongly encourage all residential students to secure their first placement close to home, so that you can attend placement when you are not in College – i.e. holidays, weekends, half terms, etc. It is often easier to secure a placement local to College once you are mobile and have your own transport to get to placement more easily.
You will need to ensure you can meet the minimum 315 hours required on placement and agree planned attendance hours with the Industry Placement team in advance of your placement start. It is also possible to combine these options to complete your total placement hours across two placements – one at home and one close to college.
FOUNDATION T LEVEL WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENTS
All students not on T Level programmes across both campuses are expected to complete a minimum of 30 hours work experience to complement their studies with us. This should enable students to have a work taster within a sector and industry they are interested in and ideally linked to the course(s) they are studying at College. Foundation T Level students are included as part of this work experience expectation. Currently, Foundation T Levels are only being offered out of our Andover campus.
Under normal circumstances, work experience is complete in a 1-week block in the Summer term, giving students maximum time to identify and secure a work experience placement with an employer of their choice. It may be possible to complete this work experience under a different model – e.g. 1 day per week for 5+ weeks but this will be dependent on College timetables and the days you are expected to be in College. As a Foundation T Level student you will be supported by the Industry Placement team, Teaching staff and your Progress Coach.
You will be given information and instruction on when to start this process and how you inform the College of your intentions and plans. The College undertakes the same suitability and safety checks for Work Experience placements as it does for Industry Placements, giving both Students and Parents the assurance that due diligence is completed to enhance this experience for its students.