Government body, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, say the need to attract young and upcoming talent into the agricultural sector, including land-based engineering, has never been greater.

As such, they are inviting interested parties to take part in a consultation to help shape the T Level training programme geared at 16 to 19-year-olds.

The Institute’s deputy director for technical education implementation, Carmel Grant, said, “T Levels can play a vital role in attracting younger people into agriculture, land management and production and maximising benefits to the sector from technological advances. This consultation is open to everyone who cares about agriculture and how we train the next generation. We need feedback from as many people as possible.”

The consultation is focused on the draft outline content for the T Level designed by our panel of industry experts. It involves seven training specialisms: land-based engineering, crop production, floristry, habitat management (land and water), livestock production, ornamental and environmental horticulture and landscaping, trees and woodland management and maintenance.

T Levels are new two-year classroom-based technical study programmes, which will also involve a substantial amount of work experience. They are being rolled out across the economy and alongside apprenticeships and A levels, T Levels will be one of the three major options available to students aged 16 – 19.

The Institute will be running webinars for employers starting next week to gather feedback on the draft outline content and ensure T Levels include the knowledge and skills required by those who will be recruiting people into the industry. For more information email them at Employer.Panels@education.gov.uk. 

The land-based engineering webinar takes place next Wednesday, June 24th.