Industry placements are a fundamental part of the government’s reforms to technical education (T Levels). It gives students a period of structured time in the workplace (315 hours / 45 days), developing real skills and making a meaningful contribution to the organisation.

The DFE (led by SDN) offers a package of support to help employers understand, decide, plan and start to offer industry placements. It is crucial that this support responds to the challenges and support needs of employers as we emerge from the pandemic and as T Levels are rolled out.

This 5-minute survey has been designed to capture views and insights from employers, to plan the right support at the right time in 2022 and beyond.

If you responded to earlier surveys of this kind, please provide an updated response so we can track how your situation and priorities are changing.

We would really appreciate it if you could please respond to this survey by Wednesday, 4th May 2022

All responses will be kept in confidence and will remain anonymous in any reporting. Data will be retained by the DFE, SDN and the project team only. If you have any questions about the survey, or if any technical difficulties arise, please contact: tim@strategicdevelopmentnetwork.co.uk

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* 1. In case we need to clarify any aspect of your response, please provide us with the following:

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* 2. In which industry does your organisation operate?

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* 3. The following is a list of skill areas covered by T Levels in which students will be seeking industry placements. Please indicate those that would be most relevant to the roles in your organisation using a four-point scale

(As an example - an engineering employer may have several teams that could host an industry placement including digital, business administration and finance.)

  1. Definitely 2. Strong likelihood 3. Maybe 4. Unlikely
Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care
Business and Adminstration 
Catering and Hospitality
Construction 
Creative and Design 
Digital/IT
Education and Childcare
Engineering and Manufacturing 
Hair and Beauty
Health and Science
Legal, Finance and Accounting

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* 4. As we continue to navigate our recovery from the pandemic and as T Levels continue to roll out, it is important that we respond to the needs of employers and put the right support in place at the right time.

When might you be in a position to start offering industry placements?

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* 5. If you are an SME, or work with SMEs, what particular challenges do smaller businesses face in hosting industry placements? What support could be put in place to help SMEs to host placements?

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* 6. In previous surveys, employers have identified the need for staff to have the right management and mentoring skills to host students.  Is this a barrier for your organisation in hosting placements (or hosting more placements)? If so, what support would help address this barrier for you? 

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* 7. What are the most significant pressures affecting your wider workforce development?

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* 8. Do you have any other comments, or any specific support needs that would help your organisation to decide, plan or host placements?

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* 9. Would you value a one-to-one call with the DFE/SDN employer support team to help you plan or host placements?

Thank you very much for your response.

This survey has been commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) and is delivered by SDN. You can find out more about industry placement support for employers here: employers.tlevels.gov.uk
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