Industry Placement Co-ordinators: Start of Year Best Practice

Start-of-year best practice for Industry Placement Co-ordinators, taking you step by step through the bulk actions that set up your T Level cohort in Navigate.

All actions are completed in bulk from the Student module. Check out the Training Hub to access numerous helpful T Level resources, from printable or online T Level forms to key information for completing the T Level Results Service.

1. Set target hours

In the Student module, select a cohort of students that will have the same target hours and course length. For the required duration of their course, add:

• Employer confirmed placement target hours
• Enrichment target hours
• Employer Engagement target hours
• Student confirmed placement target hours

Tick the boxes to drag target hours through over two years for Employer confirmed and Student confirmed placement target hours.

Note: If a student gained Employer Confirmed or Student Confirmed placement hours before their T Level course, do not tick these boxes to drag their hours through. Instead:

• First year of T Level: set their T Level Employer and Student confirmed placement hours target as above.
• Second year of T Level: individually set their target hours by calculating the remaining Employer and Student confirmed placement hours left to achieve for that year.

2. Enrol students onto a T Level course

1. Select a cohort: filter for students who share the same course and route.
2. Map the framework: go to Actions > Enrol on a T Level course. This step tells Navigate which deliverables and approaches apply to this group.
3. Complete the wizard: follow the prompts to finish the mapping process.
4. Manage records: each student must have exactly one active enrolment record.

Caution: if you find more than one enrolment for a student, delete the extras only if they have no linked placements.

3. Add T Level targets

Your T Level Course Lead will provide specific target titles and details. Standard practice is to set 3 Technical and 3 Employability targets per student. Refer to Training Hub > Work & Industry Placement for standardised examples.

1. Filter students: in the Student module, select the relevant cohort.
2. Select Actions > Add Target.
3. Target name: use clear, recognisable names. Students will see these when tagging evidence to a placement day or activity.
4. Required completion date: set this to the end of the T Level course, giving students the maximum window to gather and upload evidence.
5. Target type: categorise strictly as T Level Technical or T Level Employability.

Why this matters. Correctly setting these targets automates three critical areas of the placement:

• Placement Agreement: targets are automatically shared with the employer, student, and parent, ensuring all parties are aligned on learning objectives from day one.
• Progress Mapping: these details pull directly into mid-point and final reviews, allowing you to track competency gaps and ensure the student can meet every objective.
• Evidence Tracking: enables the student to link specific placement days and activities to their targets, building a robust portfolio of progress.

4. Request a T Level placement

Requesting a T Level Placement from the students you oversee ensures the placement module becomes your daily dashboard for all your T Level progress.

1. In the Student module, select the T Level cohort with the same placement target date.
2. Go to Actions > Request a T Level Placement (ensure you select T Level Placement from the Actions dropdown).
3. Add the target date by which you wish them to submit their placement details back to you, then click Update.

This request gives students a blank 'Placement Details' form to complete in their 'My Placements' module. When they submit it, it returns to your placement dashboard for approval. Complete this for all your students, requesting placements in groups with the same placement type and target date. If a student does not submit the placement for you to approve, you can add the details yourself to the 'awaiting details' placement in the student record > placement tab.

5. Assign a T Level Skills Assessment

If your college has opted to use the T Level Skills Self-Assessment, follow these steps to baseline and measure student progress.

The initial assessment (baseline):

1. In the Student module, select all first-year T Level students.
2. Select Actions > Assign an Assessment.
3. Choose your college's specific T Level Assessment.
4. Set the target date - typically the October half-term, or upon completion of 'Work Readiness' sessions.

Identifying employability skills gaps: once completed, view your cohort in the Starting Point Assessment Report. This highlights specific skill deficits across the cohort, allowing you to tailor support before students begin their Industry Placements.

The final assessment (impact): once a student has completed all Industry Placement activities, assign the assessment a second time.

Measuring success: use the Distance Travelled Assessment Report to compare the initial and final scores. This provides a data-driven view of:

• Skill acquisition: specific employability gains triggered by the placement.
• Programme impact: tangible evidence of how the T Level curriculum and placement have matured the student's professional profile.

6. Industry Placements

To ensure a successful T Level experience, populate the Placement Details tab as thoroughly as possible. Clear, detailed information in this part of the Industry Placement Agreement helps align expectations between the employer and the student from day one. See the guidance on what to include in a placement agreement in the link provided.

When a T Level placement has been approved:

• Link the placement to the enrolment in the Placement Details tab. If there is no enrolment to link in the dropdown, you have not yet enrolled the student onto a T Level - complete step 2.
• Link the T Level targets from the Targets tab. If you added the targets correctly, setting the target type as either T Level Technical or T Level Employability, these will drag through and be linked to the placement.

7. T Level Enrolment report

Once all the above steps are complete, you will be able to monitor each T Level student and their progress towards the industry placement element of their T Level qualification. By ensuring each requirement is complete and auditable, your college can use this complete data to claim the student's qualification. To understand this report and how it can help you ensure your industry placements are completed correctly using Navigate, view the T Level Enrolment report guide.

Source document attached below.