From Classroom to Career: SOCOTEC's Impact on T-Level Students

T-levels are a new type of technical qualification designed for 16-18 year olds after finishing their GCSEs. They are two-year courses based on the same standards as apprenticeships, designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Each T-level includes an in-depth industry placement that lasts at least 45 days or 315 hours. This means that students get valuable experience in the workplace, and we as an employer get an early glimpse of the new talent in the industry. T-level students spend 80% of the course in their learning environment, gaining the skills that employers need. The other 20% is a meaningful industry placement, where they put these skills into action. 

Our placements so far:  

Since T-levels were launched in 2020, SOCOTEC UK have hosted several groups of long-term placements on our Bretby site. These include;  

Derby College – Oct 2023  

Burton and South Derbyshire College – October 2022 to June 2023 

In Bretby, we have supported two colleges locally with long term industry placements that support the students in gaining valuable real-life experience in their fields. Specifically for central services we have worked with Burton and South Derbyshire college for several years now. Having supported their industry placements prior to becoming official T level qualifications as they developed and improved their programmes and now this year as they are officially T levels. This relationship has allowed us to highlight up and coming talent that could support us in our business and each of these students have brought individual knowledge and unique perspectives. These placements were based off the successful T level placements held at our environmental laboratory in Bretby following a similar structure which allows the students to see several sides of the business and try different areas to get a better understanding of their interests and passions. Within central services we support business students who rotate between marketing, HR, and marketing as well as IT students who rotate throughout the team from service desk to infrastructure and cybersecurity. These students have become an additional resource for our teams and have been invaluable at supporting projects throughout.  

Success Stories:  

In 2024, Ryleigh from Derby College joined the environmental labs for his T-Level placement and now as he approaches the end of his college course, has successfully aplied for a role within the environmental team. Ryleigh starts this week on a Zero Hour contract to work around his final few months at college and then is hoping to join us full time in the summer. 

Additionally, within central services another former student of ours Alfie is returning for another shorter but more intense placement within marketing to continue expanding his experience. 

Testimonies: 

Why did I choose to study T-levels?  

Give me a much more practical workplace experience, which I thought would benefit the skills I learn in the classroom by putting them to test in an actual workplace. Additionally, it goes into more detail in some of the topic areas which I knew I would like as I’m keen to get all of the knowledge I can.  

Why did I choose SOCOTEC for my work placement? 

SOCOTEC offered a chance to switch through the different departments, which could give me a portfolio of many different skills and experiences, and I really liked the idea of this. Not only that, but it was clear that their workplace culture was very accessible, kind, and opportunistic with a strong sense of trust. For me this was important, because as a student, there is always a fear that you won’t feel you belong, or that you won’t be treated the same as the employees, but here at SOCOTEC, this was clearly not the case.  

What have I learned so far during my time at SOCOTEC?  

My first rotation is in recruitment, I have learned about contracts, interviews, the employment process and also the types of things that you look for in the person during that process. We modelled some SMART and STAR interview techniques, and I was able to come up with questions that I would ask people who apply for a job. Finally, I’ve consolidated my previous knowledge on a few laws and legislations such as the equality act, and employment law, and how to make sure we prevent direct and indirect discrimination in the workplace.  

Why did I choose to study t-levels? 

Personally, I feel t-levels offer a great mix of practical skills and academic knowledge, preparing me for the workforce.  

I have struggled for a long time on what I really wanted to do for my career, but having the opportunity to experience multiple areas has given me assistance in finding what I have a greater interest in. 

Why did I choose SOCOTEC for my employer placement? 

When I was first introduced to SOCOTEC I had saw nothing but a very collective and friendly environment, and not only that, I also felt it was a good opportunity for me to gain experience in different departments and have a better idea on where I see myself in a few years’ time. 

What have I learnt so far during my hire at SOCOTEC? 

So far, I have been in 3 different teams within Finance and already I have an understanding on how each of them works, I have been introduced to applications and processes used by the teams. Overall, I have learnt most departments are a struggle to understand at the start, but if you put effort in and really put your mind to It, you’ll understand, and it does become something you really enjoy.

In March 2024, we welcomed a series of T-Level students into the Marketing and Communications team to give them a taste of Central Services’s life, and show them how we support our business. One T-Level student shone out above the others, by his dedication, work ethic, and creativity. After a series of meetings about each of the specialisms within our team, Alfie spent some time with myself supporting the internal Great Place To Work campaign.  

Alfie had already show he had a creative side and was very keen to help. I tasked him with storyboarding our Great Place To Work video and creating some animations. Despite some technical issues that meant a first draft was sadly lost, he persevered and created an equally impressive second version. Not only did he recreate a very engaging short video that was used firmwide in the run up to the survey, he also learned some new software from scratch, and clearly understood the assignment he was given. The final cut needed some very small intervention before being used but credit where it’s due, this was 95% his creativity and his work!  

Late in 2024, Alfie reached out to see if we could accommodate another period of work experience, and the whole team were more than happy to have him back. We look forward to seeing what Alfie can contribute to the team again, for a week in late-February.