Planning

T Level Industry Placement Support Services

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

22 Oct 2025 at 09:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

29 Jul 2025 at 08:57

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is currently in the planning stage for the procurement of T Level Industry Placement Support Services, as outlined in the notice dated 22nd October 2025. With a focus on enhancing T Level integration, the initiative is aimed at supporting both providers and employers across England in delivering quality industry placement opportunities. This forms part of the broader T Level programme facilitating employer-designed qualifications in the education and training services sector. There is a market engagement event scheduled for 6th November 2025 via Microsoft Teams, which provides an opportunity for stakeholders to participate in shaping the commercial model and future procurement strategy, with the planning process anticipated to continue until a potential contract initiation on 1st August 2026.

This procurement process represents a valuable opportunity for businesses involved in the education and training services sector, especially those with capabilities in technical and vocational secondary education. Businesses with expertise in delivering educational support or with experience in industry placements will find this tender particularly suitable, as it aligns with government priorities to enhance technical education and skills development in the workforce. Companies able to provide innovative solutions and strategic support to scale such initiatives across multiple regions in the UK are well-positioned to benefit, especially those that can accommodate the strategic objectives to improve provider-employer relationships and boost overall educational outcomes. SMEs and VCSEs are encouraged to participate and potentially contribute to a more sustainable and scalable delivery model for T Level Industry Placements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

T Level Industry Placement Support Services

Notice Description

The Department for Education (DfE) is undertaking further market engagement following a Preliminary Market Engagement event undertaken on August 12th 2025 on the broad range of T Level Support Services being explored. This engagement session will be focused on a subset of these requirements; exploring future delivery options for T Level Industry Placement Support Services. We invite organisations with relevant expertise to help shape how these services are delivered from September 2026. This is a valuable opportunity to help shape the next phase of how we support employers and providers to deliver T Level Industry Placements, an essential element of T Level qualifications. The DfE is particularly interested in hearing from suppliers with the capability and capacity to deliver these services at scale across England. In addition to the T Level focused requirement, the government has also committed significant funding to increase the supply and take-up of industry placements in the construction sector for those learners not undertaking a T Level - with a view to increasing the supply of work-ready students able to progress into the sector. To support this policy aim, we would also be looking for the creation of a limited set of resources to promote the benefits of placement experience specifically in the construction sector. Background and Policy Objectives T Levels, launched in 2020, are employer-designed qualifications that integrate classroom learning with meaningful industry placements. Industry placements are a mandatory component of the T Level Qualification, enabling students to develop skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom in a workplace setting. To complete an industry placement, students must have demonstrated sufficient progress towards their learning goals, worked directly with an external employer, and met the minimum hours requirement (315 hours). As the programme matures, the DfE is entering a new phase focused on scaling up provision and enhancing delivery quality. The DfE remains committed to supporting the T Level programme through continued funding. However, as the programme becomes more established, the nature of this support will evolve, meaning future services will look different from how support has been delivered to date. To date, Industry Placement support has focused on: * Support for providers to effectively engage with employers to source industry placements that are aligned with the T Level curriculum and support future progression into skilled employment, and * Support for employers to understand how T Levels can support their workforce needs and increase their ability to host meaningful placements. The strategic aim is to ensure there are enough high-quality industry placement opportunities available for students as the T Level programme scales up. For providers, this means continuing to support and upskill them on all aspects of industry placement delivery, all whilst transitioning towards a more self-sustaining system. For employers, this means continuing to build their T Level awareness, motivation and readiness to deliver high-quality placements. Identified Needs * Providers need support at both strategic and operational levels to embed and scale industry placements. This includes overcoming barriers to securing sufficient placements to match growth in learner numbers across T Level subjects, ensuring students are prepared for the workplace and building strong connections with employers and industry partners at a local level to ensure repeat placement opportunities. * Employers can be motivated by benefits such as attracting new talent, addressing skills shortages, and developing a skilled workforce. These motivators need to be explained and reinforced. Employers may face real or perceived barriers to hosting placements, which need to be addressed through targeted support and myth-busting. The quality of industry placements has a major impact on T Level students' outcomes and overall experience, so employers need to know how to offer a meaningful experience that delivers benefits for students and for their own workforce goals. Scope of Future Services The DfE is exploring options for future Industry Placement Support Services that will: * Support providers in delivering and scaling up their industry placement offers, enhancing both the quality and quantity of industry placements through effective engagement with employers and other facilitators to source and deliver placement opportunities. * Support employers in engaging effectively with T Levels, raising awareness and increasing appetite to host and delivering meaningful, scalable placement programmes. These services will be designed to support both new and existing providers, as well as employers, and must be delivered effectively across England to ensure the continued expansion and long-term sustainability of T Level delivery. There must also be flexibility to respond to any emerging issues or any changes in the wider policy context.

Planning Information

Market Engagement Event Invitation We would like to invite all interested organisations to attend a market engagement event which will provide an opportunity to hear about our initial thinking. We will also be seeking structured feedback through a follow-up survey, which will play a key role in shaping the future delivery and commercial model. Your insights will be critical to informing our approach. Through this engagement, the DfE aims to: • Share initial thinking and early insights into the potential scope and structure of a future contract model. • Gather feedback from the market to inform the design and scope. • Understand any innovative approaches, delivery mechanisms and outputs that could improve outcomes for providers, employers and learners. • Provide an opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions and offer input. • Help the DfE gauge the level of market interest in bidding for a contract in 2026. Date: Thursday 6th November 2025 Time: 10:00 – 11:00am Location: Microsoft Teams Online Webinar How to Register To register your interest and secure a place at the event, please use this link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2a294675-26f8-4a54-8ceb-7876a3837fe0@fad277c9-c60a-4da1-b5f3-b3b8b34a82f9 Next Steps Following the event, participants will be invited to complete a short survey to provide structured feedback on the proposed delivery and commercial model. Important: Please note that this is not a call for competition and does not commit the Department to procuring, or procuring services in any specific way. Any future opportunities will be subject to budgetary decisions and the availability of funding.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0567aa
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067362-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

80210000 - Technical and vocational secondary education services

80211000 - Technical secondary education services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
David Etherington
Contact Email
commercialdelivery.skills@education.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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In addition to the T Level focused requirement, the government has also committed significant funding to increase the supply and take-up of industry placements in the construction sector for those learners not undertaking a T Level - with a view to increasing the supply of work-ready students able to progress into the sector. To support this policy aim, we would also be looking for the creation of a limited set of resources to promote the benefits of placement experience specifically in the construction sector. Background and Policy Objectives T Levels, launched in 2020, are employer-designed qualifications that integrate classroom learning with meaningful industry placements. Industry placements are a mandatory component of the T Level Qualification, enabling students to develop skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom in a workplace setting. To complete an industry placement, students must have demonstrated sufficient progress towards their learning goals, worked directly with an external employer, and met the minimum hours requirement (315 hours). As the programme matures, the DfE is entering a new phase focused on scaling up provision and enhancing delivery quality. The DfE remains committed to supporting the T Level programme through continued funding. However, as the programme becomes more established, the nature of this support will evolve, meaning future services will look different from how support has been delivered to date. To date, Industry Placement support has focused on: * Support for providers to effectively engage with employers to source industry placements that are aligned with the T Level curriculum and support future progression into skilled employment, and * Support for employers to understand how T Levels can support their workforce needs and increase their ability to host meaningful placements. 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