North East based awarding body beats global competition to deliver T Levels

National awarding organisation, NCFE, has been awarded the contract from the Department of Education (DfE) and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) to be the delivery partner for one of the first three T Levels from 2020.

Following a competitive bidding process from education providers on an international scale, NCFE will deliver the CACHE developed Technical Qualification for the Education and Childcare T Level from September 2020.

The registered charity, which is headquartered in Quorum Business Park, will deliver the qualification across Wave 1 T Level providers in the region and beyond.

A technical equivalent to A Levels, T Levels will be introduced to around 50 further education and post-16 providers from September next year.

The programmes combine classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement across a range of industries from Education and Childcare to Design, Surveying and Planning, the latter of which will be delivered through multinational education body, Pearson.

Stewart Foster, managing director of NCFE Awarding, said: “At NCFE we are committed to creating opportunities for learners to progress and succeed and we are therefore excited to be at the forefront of the implementation of T Levels.

“T Levels mark a revolution in technical education and the CACHE developed Technical Qualification will help ensure that learners entering the education and childcare workplace have been trained to the highest of standards.

“We would like to thank the sector for the huge amount of support offered to us throughout this process and look forward to continuing our work together.”

Amongst the first to deliver T Levels with NCFE in the region is New College Durham from 2020. The further and higher education college in County Durham is one of three education providers in the North East to be chosen to offer the qualification.

Mark Anderson, vice principal at New College Durham, said:“We’re really excited about being one of only three Wave 1 T Level providers in the North East to deliver the Education and Childcare T Level.

“We’d like to extend our congratulations to NCFE on being awarded the contract to deliver the T Level. It’s great to see a North East organisation being part of shaping the future of technical education and we can’t wait to begin working with them.”

NCFE is a national awarding organisation, passionate about designing, developing and certificating diverse, nationally recognised qualifications and awards. These qualifications contribute to the success of millions of learners at all levels, bringing them closer to fulfilling their personal goals.

Last year alone, over 340,000 learners from over 2,000 colleges, schools and training organisations chose NCFE as the Awarding Organisation to help them move their careers forward.