Activate Learning celebrates T Levels Week 2026: Five ways technical education is preparing students for their futures

T Levels Week at Activate Learning | 19–23 October 2026 | Celebrate your future. Show what’s possible.

T Levels are helping young people turn classroom learning into real-world skills, gain meaningful experience with employers and take their next steps into university, apprenticeships and employment. 

Equivalent to three A Levels, T Levels combine technical study with a substantial industry placement, giving students the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice and develop the skills employers are looking for. 

This T Levels Week, we are celebrating the achievements of our students, the employers helping them develop and the different opportunities T Levels can create. 

From outstanding results to securing jobs with major employers, here are five ways T Levels are making an impact across Activate Learning. 

What are T Levels?

T Levels (Technical Levels) are two-year qualifications equivalent to three A Levels. Developed in collaboration with employers and education providers, they are designed to give students the knowledge and practical skills needed to progress into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or further or Higher Education.

  • Classroom learning combined with substantial industry experience
  • Students complete an industry placement of at least 315 hours, giving them meaningful experience in the workplace
  • T Levels equip students with technical knowledge, practical skills, workplace experience and the confidence to progress into their chosen car

Motivation Monday: delivering results for students 

We are starting T Levels Week by celebrating what our students have achieved. 

At Banbury and Bicester College, students studying Management and Administration and Education and Early Years T Levels achieved 100% pass rates in 2026. 

Education and Early Years improved its pass rate by 25% compared with the previous year and finished 3.4% above the national average. Management and Administration students performed 5.5% above the national average. 

But behind every percentage is a young person gaining the knowledge, practical skills and experience to take their next step. 

T Levels are designed with employers and combine technical knowledge with practical learning, including a substantial industry placement. This gives students an opportunity to experience their chosen sector while developing skills that can support their progression after college. 

Across Activate Learning, our T Level programmes cover a growing range of industries and career pathways, helping young people develop the technical skills needed by employers in our communities and beyond. 

Trailblazers Tuesday: one qualification, multiple destinations 

What happens after a T Level? 

There is no single answer. 

For some students, their T Level and industry placement can lead directly into employment. 

Jess Lambden and Jarod Smith both studied Business Management and Administration at Bracknell and Wokingham College and completed industry placements with John Lewis Partnership. 

Their experiences helped turn learning into career opportunities. Jess, who achieved a Distinction, went on to work full-time as a Process Administrator in the Invoice Progressing and Administration team, while Jarod, who also achieved a Distinction, progressed into full-time employment as a Process Administrator within the Finance cash management team. 

For others, a T Level provides a route into higher education. 

At Banbury and Bicester College, Chloe Rawlins achieved a Distinction in Education and Early Years before securing a place at Oxford Brookes University to study Primary Teacher Education. 

Fellow student Tiegen Jenkins achieved a Merit and planned to progress to university to study Children and Young People’s Nursing. 

Employment, university, apprenticeships or further professional training: T Levels can provide a foundation for a range of next steps. 

Workplace Wednesday: more than work experience 

Industry placements are a fundamental part of T Levels, but their impact goes much further than giving students something to add to their CV. 

They bring education and industry together. 

Activate Learning works with employers across different sectors to give students meaningful experience of professional environments and the opportunity to learn directly from people working within their chosen industries. 

Employers including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SP1 IT Solutions, Kyocera Document Solutions and Surelock McGill have supported T Level students through industry placements. 

For employers, there are benefits too. 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has highlighted how its involvement with T Levels has helped increase awareness of the organisation while supporting its pipeline into early careers opportunities. 

Employers have also seen the energy, curiosity and fresh perspectives that young people can bring into their organisations. 

Our work with SSE provides another example of the connection between education and future workforce needs. T Level students have brought useful digital skills into the organisation while gaining experience with an employer developing the talent it will need as it works towards its net-zero ambitions. 

T Level industry placements are therefore about more than work experience. They are an opportunity for students and employers to invest in the future workforce together. 

Thriving Thursday: building confidence beyond the classroom 

Results and destinations are important, but education is also about how students develop along the way. 

Industry placements give T Level students an opportunity to experience the expectations of the workplace while building confidence, communication skills and independence. 

Tiegen Jenkins described her T Level experience as helping her develop teamwork and communication skills alongside greater confidence. For her, the qualification provided an important stepping stone between classroom learning and employment. 

Early Years and Education student Holly Ellison has similarly spoken about the value of connecting what she learned in the classroom with real situations in schools and nurseries, while developing her confidence and communication skills through her placements. 

Health student Mia Hawkins also gained experience in very different professional environments, with placements including Ascot Priory Care Home and Wexham Park Hospital. 

She subsequently progressed to study Midwifery at the University of Surrey. 

These experiences demonstrate something that cannot always be captured through grades alone: the confidence that comes from taking knowledge out of the classroom and discovering how you can apply it in the real world. 

Future Friday: preparing for the workforce of 2030 

The jobs young people enter over the coming years will continue to evolve. 

Artificial intelligence, digital transformation, the transition to net zero and technological advances are already changing how organisations operate and the skills they need from their workforce. 

At the same time, sectors including health, construction, engineering and digital continue to need talented people with strong technical and professional skills. 

Education cannot respond to those challenges in isolation. 

T Levels provide an opportunity for employers and education providers to work together, combining technical education with meaningful exposure to industry. 

That relationship can extend beyond traditional placements. 

In June 2026, T Level students in Oxford completed a project with Oxfordshire County Council, giving them insight into the legal profession and another opportunity to connect their studies with the world of work. 

The nine-month project included visits, workshops and a mock trial at County Hall, before students presented what they had learned to representatives from the council’s Legal Services team. 

Experiences like these help young people understand the breadth of careers available to them while giving employers an opportunity to engage with their future talent. 

As we look towards the workforce of 2030 and beyond, that connection between education, employers and young people will become increasingly important. 

Discover T Level programmes at Activate Learning

Across Activate Learning’s colleges, students can choose from T Level programmes linked to a wide range of industries and career ambitions. 

Whether a young person wants to progress to university, secure an apprenticeship, enter skilled employment or continue their professional training, T Levels can provide the knowledge, experience and confidence to take that next step. 

Employers can also work with Activate Learning to provide T Level industry placements, helping develop the next generation of talent while introducing new skills, ideas and perspectives into their organisations. 

Interested in starting a T Level at Activate Learning? Browse our selection of T Levels at your local college to find the right programme for you:

Oxfordshire

Our colleges across Oxfordshire offer the following T Levels:

Berkshire

Our colleges across Berkshire offer the following T Levels:

  • T Levels at Bracknell and Wokingham College
    • Business: Management and Administration
    • Digital Data Analytics
    • Engineering
    • Health: Adult Nursing
    • Legal: Crime, Criminal Justice and Social Welfare
    • Media Broadcast and Production: Content Creation
  • T Levels at Reading College and University Centre
    • Accounting
    • Business: Management and Administration
    • Digital Software Development
    • Education and Early Years
    • Engineering
    • Health: Adult Nursing
    • Laboratory Science
    • Media Broadcast and Production: Content Creation

West Surrey

Our colleges across West Surrey offer the following T Levels:

  • T Levels at Guildford College
    • Business: Management and Administration
    • Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction
    • Digital Software Development
    • Education and Early Years
    • Health: Adult Nursing
  • T Levels at Merrist Wood College and University Centre
    • Animal Care: Animal Management and Behaviour
    • Animal Care: Animal Management and Science
    • Ornamental Horticulture and Landscaping
    • Trees and Woodland Management and Maintenance: Arboriculture

Join us from 19-23 October 2026 as we celebrate T Levels Week at Activate Learning! This T Levels Week, we are celebrating not only what our students have already achieved, but where their technical education could take them next.