As we mark National T Levels Week, it is a timely opportunity to reflect on six years of supporting T Level learners at Wates.
Since welcoming our first student in 2020, we have learnt a great deal about what makes a placement meaningful and the role employers can play in helping young people prepare for the world of work. Six years on, our focus is not simply on how many placements we deliver, but on the quality of those experiences and the opportunities they create once a placement comes to an end.
Nationally, T Levels continue to grow. In the 2025/26 academic year, more than 27,000 young people started a T Level, while government research points to encouraging progression outcomes, with learners moving into employment, apprenticeships and further study. Recent national data also shows that almost 98% of students receiving T Level results had successfully completed their industry placement, reinforcing the value of employer involvement. For some learners, that placement has also opened the door to employment with the same organisation.
These are encouraging signs, particularly for construction. With the industry forecast to need almost 48,000 additional workers every year until 2029, strengthening the connection between education and employment has never been more important. The conversation has moved beyond simply encouraging employers to participate. Increasingly, it is about improving the quality of placements, removing barriers and creating stronger routes into the industry.
What makes a placement meaningful?
When T Levels were first introduced, the 45-day industry placement requirement was understandably seen as a significant commitment. Construction projects are busy, constantly changing environments, and creating meaningful opportunities while maintaining a consistent learner experience across different projects takes considerable effort.
We have learnt a great deal along the way, and not everything has worked perfectly. Experience has shown that there is no single approach that works for every learner, employer or project, which is why the ability to adapt matters so much. What has become clear is that the quality of the experience matters far more than simply completing the required hours. Often, it is the moments that are not written into a placement plan that leave the greatest impression, whether that is a conversation with a project manager, visiting a live construction project for the first time, contributing to a team meeting or hearing someone speak openly about their own career journey.
We place a lot of emphasis on preparing young people for employment, but employers have an equally important responsibility to create environments where learners feel welcomed, supported and able to contribute. The most successful placements are often those where learners feel part of the team, are encouraged to ask questions and are given opportunities to get involved in meaningful work.
This would not be possible without colleagues across Wates who give their time to support learners, alongside our Social Value Managers, who work closely with schools, colleges and training providers to create opportunities that work for learners, employers and project teams.
Building the next phase
One of the most welcome developments has been the introduction of greater flexibility within the T Level industry placement model. The original approach provided an important starting point, but experience has shown that there is no single delivery model that works for every learner, employer or project.
Greater flexibility gives employers an opportunity to rethink how placements are delivered, rather than simply adapting existing programmes to meet the requirements. Employer-led projects, exposure to different business functions and the use of digital resources all have the potential to create more consistent and engaging learning experiences.
At Wates, we are already exploring how we can make better use of these opportunities. Building on our interactive Design, Surveying and Planning T Level Hub, we are developing a Business T Level Hub that will provide structured learning alongside workplace experience.
Through interactive resources, practical challenges and opportunities to explore different business functions, learners can gain a broader understanding of our organisation and the range of career pathways available. We are also looking at how we can work more closely with education providers and other employers to make better use of the flexibility now available.
A shared responsibility across the industry
Construction offers far more career opportunities than many young people realise, yet exposure to those opportunities can be limited by the type of employer or project hosting a placement. A more collaborative approach could help address this, giving learners a broader understanding of the industry while allowing employers to contribute in ways that reflect their expertise and capacity.
We bring together businesses of all sizes, with different skills and specialisms, to deliver complex projects. Yet when it comes to developing future talent, we still tend to operate independently. The same collaborative approach we use to deliver projects could be applied to developing the workforce of the future. Sharing resources, creating joint learning experiences and working more closely with colleges would benefit learners while making participation more accessible to smaller employers.
If we are serious about addressing future skills shortages, we need to recognise that developing talent is a shared industry responsibility, rather than something that sits with a handful of larger employers.
Looking ahead
At Wates, we have seen first-hand the impact that a well-structured T Level placement can have. Our focus now is on continuing to grow the programme across the business, creating more opportunities for young people while supporting the industry’s future skills needs.
We want to involve more projects, teams and areas of the business in hosting placements, while expanding the range of T Level pathways we support. This will give learners greater exposure to the breadth of careers available across construction and the built environment, including the professional, technical and business functions that support our projects.
Our ambition also extends beyond Wates. By working more closely with our supply chain partners, we want to help more businesses create meaningful placements, share their specialist expertise and play an active role in developing the industry’s future workforce.
T Levels are not simply another form of work experience. They are an opportunity to open doors for young people, strengthen the connection between education and employment, and build the talent pipeline our industry needs. The next phase is about widening participation, increasing the number and variety of placements available, and creating stronger pathways into apprenticeships, employment and long-term careers across the sector.
