A Gloucestershire College are at the forefront of the roll out of T-level qualifications starting in 2020.

This brand-new national qualification is set to revolutionise technical and professional education in England.

Cirencester College is one of the first in the country to be offering the T-levels, and the only provider for the whole of Gloucestershire, Swindon, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

From September 2020, three courses will be available to students: Construction: Building Design, Surveying and Civil Engineering, Digital: Software Development and Production and Education and Childcare.

This course list will be extended in 2021 to include four more courses, Digital: Support and Services, Digital: Business Services, Health and Healthcare science.

Second year student Alden Palmer took part in the pilot work experience scheme for T-levels throughout 2018 and 2019, on a placement at Neon Play in Cirencester.

He said: "I was on the placement between November and March last year, doing around twenty hours a week. The hours were flexible but I wanted to spend a lot of my spare time there.

"It was a great experience and I really made the most of it. What was great was that the placement associated with my hobbies but also helped me decide what I want to study at university in the future."

Neon Play are a close contact of the College's, and are a prime example of the opportunities available to T-level students.

CEO Oli Christie said: "We're really looking forward to working with Cirencester College providing work experience for the new T-levels.

"We like being able to give students a chance to experience the real world because they learn different skills in an office that support the work they do in the classroom."

Jim Grant, principal at the college said: "The UK lags behind Germany and other Northern European nations in its technical education. After many false starts, T Levels look like the real deal in addressing this. We have been impressed with the care that is being taken to get them right.

"They are challenging but will equip students to succeed and will provide a genuine alternative route into well paid careers.

"We are convinced that they are the future of technical and professional education and are delighted to be selected as the first school or college in our region to deliver them."

To find out more about T-levels, the college are holding an open evening on February 6, 2020 between 5-8pm.