Institute invites Awarding Organisations to bid for new T Levels

The Institute is pleased to issue its Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the second wave of T Levels, which will be taught from September 2021 onwards.

We are calling on Awarding Organisations of all sizes to consider bidding for these seven new T Levels, which will be split across six separate contracts and awarded exclusively. The finalised outline content for these new T Levels can be found here.

Successful Awarding Organisations will have the right to develop and then implement qualifications based upon outline content created by T Level Panels. The T Level Panels are employer-led groups who come together to detail the key knowledge and behaviours a student should learn as part of their technical qualification.

The bidding lots are as follows:

• LOT 1 Construction: Building Services Engineering and Construction: Onsite Construction
• LOT 2 Digital: Digital Business Services
• LOT 3 Digital: Digital Support Services
• LOT 4 Health & Science: Health
• LOT 5 Health & Science: Healthcare Science
• LOT 6 Health & Science: Science

The bidding window is open until Friday 10 May. This latest announcement comes soon after the Institute signed contracts with the two Awarding Organisations who will be delivering the first three T Levels in September 2020.

The Institute’s CEO Sir Gerry Berragan said:

“The launch of this second Invitation to Tender is an exciting milestone and shows that the Institute is well on track for the delivery of T Levels.

“These seven new pathways – split across six separate contracts – will provide high quality, stretching and engaging new qualifications for young people.

“We’ve involved employers and businesses of varying sizes throughout this process, ensuring that T Levels will be fit for purpose and relevant to the world of work.”

He added: “We were very happy with the level of interest for the first set of contracts and have worked hard to prepare Awarding Organisations for this second wave, through in-depth pre-market engagement. We encourage Awarding Organisations of all sizes to be part of this exciting new procurement process.”

T Levels are new high quality two-year, technical study programmes that will be available across 11 industry routes. Alongside apprenticeships and A levels, T Levels will be one of the three major options available to people aged 16 – 19.

By involving employers throughout the process, the Institute aims to ensure that T Level content is relevant, engaging and applicable to the world of work. The first wave will be taught from September 2020, the second from September 2021, and the third from September 2022.

The Post-16 Skills Plan sets out the Government’s vision to reform technical education by creating a technical education option (T Levels) that prepares individuals for skilled employment by developing the technical knowledge and skills needed by employers and industry. 

The full suite of procurement documents can be found through the Institute’s online procurement platform Proactis.