T Levels: Employers and experts from industry have had their say...

How T Levels in Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care have developed over the last 9 months

20 July 2022

Since the start of developing the Technical Qualifications (TQs) back in October 2021, employers, industry bodies and technical experts across the land-based sector have provided invaluable support and feedback.

This support has enabled us to produce drafts of amplified content and assessment materials which have been submitted to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) who have overall responsibility for the content of the TQ of each T Level programme. I’d like to thank those of you who have been involved to date. 

There’s still time to get involved! If you, your business or employer has not been involved in the validation of the TQs to date but would like to be involved in this exciting development for 16-19 vocational education, there’s still time and opportunity. 

Providing feedback on the content of the qualifications and assessment ensures that current industry practices are accurately reflected, building confidence that learners are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to enter work in the sector.

As a result of the validation and feedback received from industry, there have been a number of updates to the TQs, such as: 

• The introduction of Core Pathway groups to allow core knowledge and assessments to be contextualised 
• Trees and Woodlands Occupational Specialism has been spilt into two pathways - arboriculture and forestry 
• Equine Occupational Specialism has been spilt into two pathways - riding and non-riding
• Habitat Management Occupational Specialism has been paused so that it can be reviewed in light of the new and upcoming occupational standards.

We’re now working towards the next submission date for materials which is at the beginning of August 2022, with the final submission for all content and assessments on the 19 September 2022. For both submissions we'll be contacting our supporting Employer Industry Board (EIB) members to be involved in the validation activities. These validation and feedback activities are a critical element in the development and success of the TQs. 

How to get involved in T Levels

There are several ways that employers can be involved in the development of the TQs - from registering to receive email updates, to taking part in the essential validation groups that provide feedback on the content and assessments. Validation group members are involved in reviewing draft qualification materials and taking part in online group feedback sessions. If you’re unable to attend these meetings, you can feedback through a one-to-one meeting, or via our online questionnaire. 

To read more about the Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care T Level, visit our website, or sign up here to receive updates.

To be involved in the validation groups, please contact Sally Green, Industry Manager for Land-based Services (T Levels) on sally.green@cityandguilds.com.

Note for readers: In October 2021, City & Guilds were successful in securing the contract with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (The Institute) to develop the new Technical Qualifications (TQs) that will be a component of the new Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care T Level.