How T Levels help young people start a specialist career as a midwife
EMPLOYERS are crying out for enthusiastic, talented young people to join them.
Yet it can be difficult for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 to know which career path to follow.
They often have very little work experience, perhaps only a few weeks, and not always in a field that interests them.
Wouldn't it be great to connect employers with enthusiastic teens?
This is where T Levels really come into their own: they are a great way to study and gain practical experience at the same time.
Everyone is a winner, whether you're a 16-year-old discovering your dream job or a boss helping build a pool of perfect candidates to fill a position – saving you valuable time and resources in the long run.
T-levels – roughly equivalent to three A-levels – are a springboard to an internship, a job or a degree and are the perfect appetizer for young people who have a particular passion and want to explore it.
Kate Giles, senior midwife and practice development midwife at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, jumped at the opportunity to take on T-level students for their 315-hour placement in the sector.
“The hospital was already taking T-level students to the nursing wards,” says Kate.
I am an employer, what does it benefit me?
A lot of!
Offering a T Level placement gives you early access to the brightest talent and young people entering the market – and the opportunity to develop your workforce of the future.
The benefits for you are that you can grow your workforce in the short term and at the same time find future talent in your region.
It is a short-term internship of 315 hours in the sector.
Read more here: find-employer-schemes.education.gov.uk
“Our youth leader emailed me and said, we have midwifery students – could we consider taking them to the maternity ward? It was something I was really passionate about.
“I went to university to meet T-level students. They chose to become midwives, but did internships in the sector, such as shadowing a receptionist at a GP practice or working in a nursing home.
“It didn't feel right that we were clamoring for new work streams to encourage people to start a career as a midwife, when there are young people who want to get into it and can't.
“I had to bridge that gap.”
Finding a passion is familiar to Kate, who has worked at the Trust for 18 years. When she had her daughter in 2002, she was so inspired by the role midwives play that she left her previous career behind and retrained.
“I thought: I want that job! I did an access course, volunteered in the maternity ward, then became a support worker and applied to university with those skills. It took me five years to retrain – it had been a powerful experience!”
Seven students from New College were selected to join the hospital and were put in touch with existing midwives or maternity support staff.
After a thorough assessment and introduction to health and safety risks, they were each given a rotation to cover all aspects of the work, from antenatal care to birth and beyond.
“I noticed that the students were so excited and couldn't quite believe that they were getting this opportunity,” says Kate.
What are T levels?
Launched in September 2020, T Levels are a new type of technical qualification.
They are offered in schools and colleges and cover a huge range of subject areas from agriculture, digital and engineering and manufacturing to site construction, healthcare, education and early years.
- Two-year courses
- Broadly equivalent to three A-levels
- 80 percent in a classroom setting and 20 percent with an employer
- Placements with employers in the sector last 315 hours (equal to 45 days)
They visited the midwife-led birth center that cares for low-risk pregnancies.
“We asked our birth families if they could potentially shadow a midwife if the opportunity arose.”
Some students had the privilege of seeing babies born at the center, including water births.
“We have decided not to place T-level students in the delivery suites, which is a high-risk environment. But for an elective procedure such as a caesarean section, we would ask the family if it is okay for the student to be present.
“For them, putting on scrubs and being able to observe was a great experience.”
Not every student will become a midwife, and that's okay, says Kate.
“Some students do a nursing internship or wait until the midwifery internship becomes available. In the meantime, they will look for work as maternity nurses. A few students have said, “I don't want to do it.”
“It's important that they decide what they want to do. I feel like I've only had positive experiences with it. It was great for the NHS.”
Kate would encourage other employers to see what T-level internships could do for them and their workplace.
“Working in the NHS I feel incredibly privileged and absolutely love my job.
“I hope others have a real passion for wanting people to do the careers they do and for workforce planning.”
Are you an employer and would you like to know more about receiving T Level students on company internships? Visit here