Workington MP Mark Jenkinson has welcomed news that Lakes College is to provisionally offer T Levels in engineering and manufacturing.
Designed with input from over 250 employers, T Levels represent a significant reform to the technical education system and will ensure more young people from all backgrounds have access to skilled work or are able to progress to higher education.
Lakes College currently offers T Levels in construction, digital, education and childcare, and health or science.
Mr Jenkinson said: “With our area’s strong manufacturing and engineering industry, T Levels in engineering and manufacturing will allow local young people to get the skills they need to work in local industries, without moving out of the area to train.
“I was lucky to be a British Steel apprentice based here in Workington, allowing me to train and work where I lived, and eventually giving me the skills I needed to go on to have a career at Sellafield. This new T Level will allow many more young people to do the same as me and stay in our fantastic area.
“I recommend that any young people who are keen to get the qualifications they need and want to do it locally, to look online at Lakes College website to apply for a place on one of these amazing new T Level courses.”
T-Levels allow students to take a less academic path to gaining the skills and qualifications they need to go into further education or straight into jobs and apprenticeships.
They are a two-year course, equal to 3 A-Levels, and provide students with at least 45 days of “on-the-job” experience, enabling them to get first-hand experiences in the fields they are training for.
