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INTRODUCTIONThis element of the T Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer supports the development of management and leadership skills, enabling middle leaders and managers to lead their organisations towards T Level readiness and effective T Level delivery. It includes two online courses and four face-to-face workshops.

CPD APPROACHThe CPD approach used in the training focuses on the development of leadership skills for middle leaders and managers in the context of planning for and implementing a change process for the introduction of T Levels.

The CPD is designed for middle managers in all provider types.

Figure 1: CPD approach

The diagram here (Figure 1) identifies the individual first – the middle manager. The approach assumes that you, as a middle manager, have an area of responsibility – a team or department – and that you will need to develop and use your leadership skills to support the change management process in the team. You will also need to have an understanding of, and to contribute to, ‘bigger picture’ thinking. Finally, you will need to ensure that your team has the practical, technical skills they need to prepare for and implement T Levels.

It is very unlikely that individuals or teams will work in isolation within their organisation, so middle managers will need to consult and work with people across their organisation – and think ‘strategically’. You are likely to be influencing and contributing to the organisation-wide approach to, and change process for, T Levels. You may also need to work with other providers to decide, for example, which T Levels are offered in each organisation, and what the progression routes for students should be – including ensuring provision for special education needs and disabilities (SEND). You will need to scope and understand your current and potential student cohorts. It is likely you will also be working with employers, awarding organisations or other stakeholders.

These responsibilities require people-focused leadership skills to support and guide others through a process of change – and also the practical approaches and skills to ensure completion of the tasks as part of that change process. The CPD approach used in the training takes into account the different leadership skills middle managers are likely to need and the change process for T Levels.

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You will be supported to approach each topic or theme in the training by using the framework shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Framework to approach T Level planning and implementation

1. Explanatory framework. This will introduce some theoretical approaches or ideas about the topic or theme: curriculum theory or organisational culture, for example, or how it feels to experience change.

2. Context. You will consider how these ideas have worked elsewhere and how they have been used: how have other organisations approached the development of their curriculum for T Levels, for example, and how have they looked at student progression?

3. Reflection. You will reflect on what this means for you as a leader and for your organisational context – what might you need to do and how might you go about doing it. Are any of the approaches and ideas you have looked at transferable to your context? Would they work for you or your organisation? Why?

4. Action. And then, the action – planning what needs to be done and how to do it. The action might be to develop an aspect of your leadership skills – for example, practising and honing your consulting skills by liaising with colleagues. Alternately, it might be to work with your team or other colleagues to identify approaches for curriculum design.

5. Analysis and evaluation. Finally, analysis and evaluation. You will be asked to consider questions such as, ‘Will this work?’ (for which you’ll need to analyse and evaluate the initial ideas) and/or ‘Is this working?’ (for which you’ll need to analyse and evaluate aspects of the change process). For example, ‘Is our approach for engaging employers in planning for the industry placement progressing as we hoped, or do we need to look at other ways to do this?’, ‘Do I need to speak to colleagues who have not completed their tasks?’ and ‘What approach can I take to speaking with them that will minimise conflict and still produce the required outcomes?’

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WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS: CO-DESIGNING THE T LEVEL CURRICULUM

The aim of this second workshop is to support you in considering the concept of co-designing the T Level curriculum with employers, carrying out effective stakeholder analysis and planning for implementation.

You may have already completed the TLPD course on FutureLearn, ‘Leading and managing curriculum change for T Levels’; this workshop builds on concepts introduced there.

There are spaces in this pack for you to record your thoughts during the session, together with all the materials you need for the activities.

The session is interactive – and uses a workshop approach. The trainers will be sharing approaches and ideas for you to consider, followed by activities for you to complete either individually or in small groups. We can share feedback and analyse and discuss with the wider group. We know that you will want to hear others’ ideas and experiences, so we have built in time for small group discussions and networking.

By the end of this session, you will have:

revisited your understanding of the T Level curriculum within the wider context of regional and local need and what this looks like in practice.

shared approaches to stakeholder analysis and identified key partnerships and priorities for work with stakeholders.

used Teach Too principles and toolkits to frame co-design planning. shared and reflected on evidence-based approaches and strategies for co-designing, using

case studies. identified action points for further work.

WARM-UP ACTIVITY

Consider how you would complete the following sentence and write you answer in the space provided.

“We are planning for / delivering T Levels because……………….”

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You can also note down reasons why other people are planning for and delivering T Levels:

ACTIVITY 1: RATIONALE FOR T LEVELS

Question Your response

What is the local need for T Levels?

Who are the student cohorts?

Who do you need to work in partnership with?

(Internally and externally to your organisation)

What does effective practice look like?

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EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TABLE

This table can be used to identify employer information and plan engagement.

Employer Number of Employees Currently working with organisation Potential support they could offerABC Construction 2500 Apprenticeships

Study programmes Industry placements Co-design of curriculum

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ACTIVITY 2: POWER AND INFLUENCE MATRIX

Use this matrix to identify your most powerful and influential stakeholders.

FURTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Question Your responseHow effective is your own employer engagement

strategy?

Do you deliver study programmes or

apprenticeships? Could these links with employers

be expanded to include T Levels?

How will you communicate T Level requirements to

employers?

How effective is your own employer engagement

strategy?

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ACTIVITY 3: CO-DESIGNING THE CURRICULUM

Read through the two case studies and identify areas of effective practice you could use in your organisation.

Case study 1

A medium-sized further education college in the north of England was delivering Engineering and Manufacturing apprenticeships with outstanding achievement rates. The principal of the college attended a local manufacturing event and spoke to the owners and managers of the companies present. She asked a very important question to the companies: “Are you satisfied with the level of skills the college is developing and can you see a relevance to your organisation?” This generated lots of thought and discussion. The main consensus was that the college was providing good support and guidance, however, the actual development of skills did not have the impact that it could have had as the college offered a very general programme.

The college decided to invite members of the representative companies to join a newly-created employer steering group, which met twice per year to look at the course design and content to ensure that the skills and knowledge being taught was having a positive impact on the company. This gave the college and the courses it offers increased credibility with the local employer partners. They are now developing the relationships further to offer the same opportunities for employers to contribute to T Levels.

Case study 2

A sixth form college based in the east of England started to deliver some technical training courses. One of the biggest challenges they faced was trying to ensure that the courses would be valued by local employers, therefore giving students the opportunity to progress into work once they had completed their studies.

The college enlisted the help of a local apprenticeship training provider to assist in sourcing work placements, ensuring their students could be exposed to the workplace as the college had no previous experience in this area.

The provider helped them with securing the placements and acted as the liaison to ensure that the students were safe when undertaking them and were developing relevant skills.

The companies that the school and provider are working with gave feedback about the skills the students had displayed and any potential areas of development.

The college is planning to deliver T Levels in 2021 and has again enlisted the services of the training provider to help source industry placements.

You can note your thoughts about effective practice below.

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ACTIVITY 4: CO-DESIGN FOR T LEVELS IN PRACTICE

Question Your responseIdentify aspects where you require input from employers and the best way this can be gathered.

How will assessments take place and by whom?

What training will you need to provide to employers?

Share your thoughts with the people at your table and then one person from each table to share with the wider group.

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NOTES AND REFLECTIONS

Reflection Implications for practice

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