T Levels and the future land-based workforce

The land-based sector is diverse and provides many exciting opportunities and career paths. Recently the sector has seen shortages in the workforce caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit. However, with the right training and education the gaps in skills and the workforce could be filled. 

For those looking to enter the sector, the new generation of Technical Qualifications (T Levels) in Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care will be launched in September 2023. T Levels are delivered over two-years and are designed to give learners the skills that the industries need. They bring classroom learning and an extended industry placement together, providing a mixture of technical knowledge and skills that are specific to their chosen industry or occupation. This is in addition to an industry placement of 45 days in their chosen industry or occupation as well as relevant maths, English and digital skills. 

The employer voice and involvement throughout the T Level is a critical element in its development and success. 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. 

By offering T Level learners an industry placement, employers will build relationships with their future work force, have the opportunity to directly input to their skills development and ultimately define and shape a recruitment pool of work-ready learners. 

Employers who then use this work-pool to address their employment pipeline concerns and requirements can be confident that the individual is committed to a career in the industry and comes with the relevant knowledge and skills to drive their business forwards in a competitive market. 

How you can get involved in T Levels 

There are a number of 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. 

To read more about the Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care T Level, visit our website cityandguilds.com/tlevels/land-based, 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.