| Abstract: |
Ongoing reforms to technical education in England were initiated by the previous government. They were informed by the findings of the 2016 Sainsbury Review by the Independent Panel on Technical Education which identified a range of shortfalls with the technical education landscape. The reforms aim to improve the quality of technical education and therefore the technical skills needed to boost productivity in the UK economy. Key to the technical education reforms was the introduction of T Levels in 2020, two-year level 3 courses which currently run alongside A levels and level 3 technical courses. T Levels were created in collaboration with employers and include a strong focus on technical content, as well as a substantial industry placement of at least 315 hours. Courses are designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to progress either into employment or into further or higher education. T Level delivery began in 2020, with three courses in T Levels in Education and Early Years, Digital, and Construction. For the second cohort of T Level learners (2021-2023), ten T Levels were available, across four routes. The Technical Education (Tech Ed) Study (2020-2024) delivers longitudinal insights into whether the reforms are improving the technical education landscape as intended and the impact on learners' experiences, including in comparison to other level 3 courses. The second T Level cohort comprised 5,321 learners, studying T Levels in Education and Early Years, Construction, Digital and Health and Science. As part of the Technical Education Learner Surveys -- commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in collaboration with the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) -- these learners were surveyed in summer 2024, about a year after completing their T Level, to understand their current activities, career plans, and reflections on their T Level. To compare learners' experiences across different level 3 courses, a comparator sample of learners on A level and level 3 technical courses were also surveyed. |