Only one in five people have heard of the qualifications, according to the poll of 2,000 young people and adults. Published today (29 June), Public Perceptions: T-levels shows that even if people have heard of the qualification, 70% say they know ‘almost nothing or little about it’.
Launched two years ago, T-levels offer a new route for students after they complete their GCSEs, including a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on the job’ experience. The issue is particularly pressing as engineering and manufacturing T-levels launch this September.
Low awareness of the qualifications, and engineering in general, is partly down to a patchwork careers advice system, says Lydia Amarquaye, IMechE education policy adviser.
“I got into engineering because my physics teacher spoke to me about it, otherwise I wouldn’t have even considered it as a career,” says Amarquaye. “That’s how a lot of people think about engineering. Otherwise it’s family and relations that bring them into the field.”
She adds: “I think if more people were given this opportunity to really understand what engineering is, they can then work out what options they have to then go forward with that.
“When you’re picking your A-levels or thinking about university you’re always thinking about ‘What subjects do I need to get myself to this next step?’ And now, if somebody thinks about wanting to study engineering at the point of completing their GCSEs, then they do have the option of T-levels, and they will now be told as part of their wider careers advice that this is an option for them.
“It's really just taking away the ambiguity of just having one person who would encourage you.”
That ambiguity arises because there are not enough STEM-dedicated leads in careers hubs, Amarquaye says. If each pupil could speak to someone completely focused on STEM, then awareness of T-levels would quickly rise. Government investment in careers hubs and teacher CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is needed, she says.
“It’s quite a disjointed discussion we’re having, because we talk about ‘Levelling up’ and ‘Becoming a science superpower’, all these terms that we’re using at the high level, the industry level, but how do we make that link back to people who are making decisions about what they want to do with their future,” she asks.
“Like what skills they need… in those fields that are meant to be helping us improve our world and promote sustainability and all of those things.
“If we’re not telling them, that’s a missing link. If they don’t know which careers will lead to making those changes, they then don’t go into those things. It’s really about just tying it all together.”
Despite industry involvement in development of the new T-levels, and an ongoing advisory board, Amarquaye says employers will also need some time to become confident in the new qualifications.
“Not only do we have some work to do in raising awareness of the qualification… in the wider population, we also need to find a way of bringing the confidence to industry, to say that these young people who are completing a T-level will be able to fit into their apprenticeship,” she says. “But we hope – and from everything that we’ve seen, they are coming out with useful skills – they will find a place within the engineering infrastructure and ecosystem.”
The IMechE survey found awareness was highest amongst parents of 16-18-year-olds, with 39% saying they had heard of T Levels. Amongst young people, those aged 18-24 were most aware, with 29% saying they knew of the qualification.
According to the poll, twice as many people thought engineering would be better taught in a workplace environment compared with science, which they thought would be better taught in schools. It is hoped that T-level work will give students an insight into engineering projects and the skills needed to pursue a career in the sector.
The survey was carried out by ICM Unlimited and involved a nationally representative poll of around 2,000 participants in Great Britain.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.