T Levels Week 2025: Game Changing Industry Placements
It’s T Levels Week here on GMACS and for our last article for the week, we’re moving on to one of the most exciting parts about T Levels: the industry placement.
In this article, we’ll cover all the benefits of this game changing part of the T Level qualification. And, we’ve even got some recent T Level students to give some advice that could help you if you’re considering a T Level.
So, let’s get into it!
Upskilling
You’re sure to learn a lot about your chosen field in the classroom, but the skills we learn in the workplace are just as important.
Your industry placement is full on. You’ll be immersed into the workplace and have training to do tasks that require certain skills that are specialised to your industry.
The opportunity to practise these skills in a real working environment will not only help you upskill, but will be a great addition to your CV.
On top of these brand-new skills that you’ll be taught, you’ll also be improving your general workplace skills. These are not something to be overlooked.
The exposure to a professional working environment with vastly improves your soft skills. Soft skills are all about how you work with others and approach your own workload. It could be things like communication, problem solving or organisation.
These are skills that could win you a job role. And, paired with the specialist skills you gain on a T Level, your skillset on a whole will vastly improve.
Networking
It’s important that we build a good rapport with our colleagues, whether you’re working part time at a restaurant or as a big time CEO. Building healthy relationships with our colleagues will lead to a more harmonious and productive workplace.
But the benefits of building those relationships don’t just come in handy in the present, it can help you build a network.
You might have heard of people talking about networks. Your network refers to people you meet in professional settings. It might have been in the workplace or on a further education course, for example. However the relationship formed, you’ve added a new connection to your network.
When we talk about building a network, this doesn’t have to be someone you later became really good friends with, it’s just a bonus if you did!
An industry placement can offer you the chance to start building your network with industry professionals at an earlier age.
Having these relationships will help you learn more about the industry and the way in which you can succeed within it. It could also help you find new opportunities in the future.
One day there might be a job that an old colleague thinks you might be perfect for and will encourage you to apply, or your course mate is now running a business and they need your expertise to make it happen. It can even work the other way round; you could help the people you meet too.
This is why it’s important to give your all during your time on industry placement. If you’re personable and work hard, people will remember.
You never know when these connections will come in handy!
Self confidence
The transition of leaving school or college and entering the world of work can be nerve inducing. Learning the dos and don’ts of a working environment can be tricky, as it does differ to being in education. If you feel this way, it’s very easy to retreat. This is normal.
However, life at times can feel uncomfortable, but that’s the point. For us to grow and learn we must overcome challenges. And as sweet as the successes are, sometimes we learn more when we fail.
That is exactly why many T Level students feel so more confident once they’ve completed their industry placement. They’ve overcome the fear of entering a new environment and worked through the challenges of learning new skills.
The industry placement can be intense but by the end of the experience you will have learnt a lot. Becoming a more skilled and capable worker can in turn impact on your confidence.
Confidence is a great quality to have and is very respected by others. Confidence in yourself, makes others confident in you.
Let the students talk…
Still not convinced a T Level is for you?
Well, you don’t have to hear it from just us!
To close this blog, we’ve included some advice from T Level students on how to succeed on your T Level course. Hopefully their advice will ease any concerns or answer any questions you might have.
How to cope with workload
Don’t worry if the workload seems daunting! Your line manager will support you – especially around exam season
Be prepared to work hard for as long as it takes to finish the course – it’s all about commitment! It’s the effort you make outside of college that actually gets you through.
Applying for an industry placement
Applying for a placement is straightforward and your placement coordinator can help you with preparing for it.
Navigating the industry placement
Being in the workplace helps you develop connections and skills that you wouldn’t otherwise have. These are relevant in everyday life.
Being in a work environment for the first time might be difficult but don’t worry – you’ll get used to it!
If this has got you excited about the game changing industry placement component of T Levels, why not explore some places you could do a T Level placement within Greater Manchester? Check out the GMACS T Level placement page to find out some of the places that are offering them.
