T Level Industry Placements - The Employer Support Package

The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to initiate market engagement and it is not being used as a call for competition. The procurement procedure to be used will be Open Procedure LTR (Light Touch Regime).

This PIN is intended to inform the market of an imminent procurement for a T Levels Employer Support Package and therefore enable the market and suppliers to prepare and plan for this. The employer support package is designed to provide employers with the knowledge, skills and materials to help them structure and deliver high quality placements.

It will also explain what T Levels are and how they fit into the wider educational landscape, and how they differ from work experience and apprenticeships. The outputs will include: • A suite of online guidance; e-learning materials; podcasts and videos with sufficient route specific elements to cover all routes; and • Training and development for employers to develop know-how and confidence and mentoring skills (e.g. workshops and direct support).

The required outcomes will be: • Employers will be better placed and more willingly to offer high quality industry placements therefore leading to increased quantity and quality of placements. • More students will have a good experience of an industry placement increasing confidence in the T Level which will be progressively introduced from 2020. It is expected that the contract will be awarded to a single legal entity for the entirety of service provision but consortia bids would be welcomed to ensure that all elements of the package can be successfully delivered.

But in these circumstances there will need to be a designated lead organisation. Additional information: The purpose of this proposed procurement will be to select/appoint a supplier who can demonstrate a good understanding of the Post 16 agenda for education and where the new T Levels and Industry Placements fit into the post 16 landscape.

This programme is about providing employers with the knowledge, skills and approaches to provide high quality and meaningful industry placements. It is also about explaining the difference to employers between work experience, apprenticeships and the new demands of the T Level, and ensuring that employers have a good understanding of where they fit into the wider post-16 landscape and the rationale for the Industry Placements.

The first part of the project would be to scope out what currently exists which includes this material https://www.aoc.co.uk/industry-placements-guidance-resources, and to identify how this can be used, built on and where the outstanding gaps are. It will also include interviews and engagement with key partners including the National Apprenticeship Service.

Given the recent policy statement (see link above) we envisage the supplier engaging with key employer groups, representative bodies, relevant educational bodies and organisations to develop what good approaches to structuring industry placements look like, both generally and across different industries, and the building blocks that will foster high quality placements. There will be common elements for all placements and specific elements for each route.

Both will need to be covered but the biggest current gap is the route specific material. The good practice together with information about where T Levels fit should then be promoted through workshops and presentations either as standalone events or worked into existing employer or other relevant events.

Engaging the National Apprenticeship Service will help here. Feedback from these events can continue to be fed into the development of materials which we envisage will be finalised towards the end of the contract period While the emphasis is on the quality of the placement, if employers feel well equipped to provide a quality experience they will be more disposed to offering placements which will help with quantity.

The contract will run from early September 2019 to the end of July 2020. We will send you further information and a link to the eSourcing website which the department will be using to issue the invitation to tender.