T Level Engineering

Applications Open: 9th October 2025

How to Apply:

Internal students - Apply via Applicaa using this link - https://waterfront.applicaa.com/year12-20262027

External students - Apply via KentChoices using this link - https://www.kentprospectus.co.uk/login. Please note - after sending your application, you'll receive a welcome email from Applicaa asking for further information.

This qualification is for you if you are a 16-19-year-old learner, who wishes to work within the engineering industry.

It has been designed to deliver a high level of knowledge about the engineering industry as well as the occupational skills required to enter the industry (known as ‘threshold competence’). A learner who completes this qualification is well placed to develop to full occupational competence with the correct support and training.

This technical qualification will suit someone who is not yet employed or looking to enter the industry post mainstream education. The structure of the qualification is designed to give learners the breadth of knowledge and understanding across the Engineering industry but also equips them with necessary occupational and core skills to enter the industry. This qualification is designed to support fair access and allows learners to manage and improve their own performance.

The qualification will help you gain an understanding of the engineering industry and the sector and you will cover topics such as:

• Customer and client requirements

• Principles of design

• Design processes

• Communication in design

A learner will have the choice of studying one standalone Occupational Specialism as listed below:

• Mechanical engineering

• Electrical and electronic engineering

• Control and instrumentation engineering

• Structural engineering

The school works with local employers who will contribute to the knowledge and delivery of training. Employers will provide demonstrations and talks on the industry and where possible work placements will also be provided by the employers.

The technical qualification is made up of two components all of which need to be successfully achieved to attain the technical qualification as well as the full T Level Technical Qualification in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Level 3).

The common core component:

The core content is designed to offer sufficient breadth of knowledge and skills for the learner to apply in a variety of contexts related to the engineering industry and those Occupational Specialisms linked to this T Level.

The common core content is the building blocks of knowledge and skills that will give a learner a broad understanding of the industry and job roles. At the same time, it will develop the core skills they will need to apply when working within the industry.

Occupational Specialisms:

Occupational Specialisms develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to achieve threshold competence in an occupation. Threshold competence is defined as when a learner’s attainment against the knowledge, skills and behaviours is of a standard for them to enter the occupation and industry. They must also demonstrate the ability to achieve occupational competence over time with the correct support and training.

Learners must complete:

Two externally set exams covering knowledge from the engineering common core.

The exams provide sufficient sampling of the content and consist of a mixture of short answer questions (SAQs), some of which will be structured, and extended response questions (ERQs).

The balance of questions in assessing across assessment objectives (AOs) 1, 2 and 3 will allow for the appropriate differentiation of learners to support the reliable setting of boundaries.

One Employer-set project covering knowledge and core skills from the engineering common core.

The Employer-set project will consist of a well-defined, real industry-style brief. The brief will be complex and non-routine, and will require the use of relevant maths, English and digital skills. The brief will provide a valid context for the Level 3 learner to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the core content and their core skills to solve occupationally relevant situations and/or problems.

And

One Occupational Specialism from

These assessments will feature a considerable practical element and are composed of a series of holistic practical tasks relating to the specialism at hand. The assessments should be scheduled according to the occupational specialism window identified annually in the key dates schedule published by City & Guilds. By nature of the considerable practical elements, the tasks will generate significant ephemeral evidence and be heavily reliant on Internal Assessor observation notes and records for validation.

x5 GCSEs at Grade 9-4 - including Mathematics and English

This technical qualification focuses on the development of knowledge and skills needed for working in the Engineering industry, which will prepare learners to enter the industry through employment or as an Apprentice. Furthermore, the completion of this qualification gives the learner the opportunity to progress onto higher education courses and training.