Guidance

T Level employer incentive scheme: employer conditions of payment

Updated 9 September 2021

Applies to England

The Employer Incentive Scheme

Employers will be eligible to claim a £1,000 payment for hosting a suitable T Level industry placement that commences between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022. No extension will be made to this date.

This is for employers who are able to offer an industry placement in the Construction, Digital, Education and Childcare or Health and Science industries, which make up the list of T Level subjects available to study within this time.

Eligibility for the employer incentive

• Employers can receive a maximum, one off payment of £1,000 per placement.
• This incentive scheme is open to all sized employers, with the exception of government departments and arm’s length bodies
• There will be a cap of 20 payments per employer, per region, so the maximum funding any one employer (in a single region) will be eligible for, across all providers, is £20,000.
• Employers can offer as many industry placement opportunities as they like, however one employer (in any single region) will only be eligible for a maximum of 20 incentive payments.
• An employer cannot receive an incentive payment in addition to an Employer Support Fund payment for the same placement. It will be down to the provider to work with the employer to decide which payment is appropriate.
• Payments cannot be backdated for placements that have already begun before the 27 May launch date. However, if the employer were to offer additional placements that start after the 27 May, these would be eligible.

Condition of payment

Application process

• Employers can claim for an incentive payment by submitting a complete and signed Employer Declaration form to their partner school or college. This will include basic information about the employer (including name, address, size of business) and a signature to state they will be hosting an industry placement and agree to the terms agreed with their partner school or college.
• Placement opportunities must have an agreed start date and commence before 31 July 2022, before any payment will be made.

Payment process

• Payments will be made to employers by the school or college the student is studying at.
• Employers and their partner school or college will agree the preferred method of payment, and it is recommended that claims are processed within 15 working days of receipt.
• It is recommended that employers submit incentive claims as close to the placement start date as possible.

Committment to deliver a high-quality industry placement

• Employers must commit to delivering a high-quality placement and their partner school or college will want assurances before an incentive payment is processed. It is expected that by the point an employer makes a claim, employers will have worked with the school or college to agree a suitable placement structure and content, agree learning objectives for the student and ensure the student can be supervised/mentored in the workplace.
• Placement opportunities will be subject to the same stringent quality assurances that are already in place – placements must adhere to the principles of an industry placement as set out in the Industry Placement Delivery guidance.
• Placements must be delivered in the workplace and cannot be offered through a remote-working model.
• We have placed a cap on the number of claims an employer can make. It is expected that employers will only be able to host a finite number of placements at any given time. We expect that employers decide the appropriate number of placements they can host whilst still being able to uphold the quality of the placement.
• Where a placement does not commence, employers should commit to refund the payment back to their partner school or college, or if a placement is cut short, the relevant parties should discuss the reasons for this to determine if repayment is appropriate. We appreciate the funds may be used for upfront costs such as the purchasing of equipment or training, which may not be suitable to be repaid.

How the money can be spent

• There are no restrictions on what the funds can pay for. Employers may choose to use the money as they see fit, but examples of expenditure might be to enhance the placement experience for the student, buy equipment for students to use in the workplace, or use it to train staff on how to supervise and/or mentor placement students.

Frequently asked questions

I am only hosting part of an industry placement and the remaining hours are with a separate employer. Am I still eligible for an incentive payment?

Yes. As per the industry placement delivery guidance, one placement can be split across multiple employers (up to a maximum of 2). In this case, both employers are eligible for the full incentive payment.

I am due to start hosting a T Level industry placement between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022. What date does the placement need to be finished by to be eligible for an incentive payment?

An industry placement needs to start between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022. Placements do not have to be completed within this time frame, although should be planned to be completed within the 2 years that the student is studying for their T Level. Employers should agree with the partner school or college how the placement is to be delivered and also the expected end date.

I am a government department/arm’s length body. Am I eligible for an incentive payment?

No. As part of the eligibility criteria, incentive payments cannot be made to government departments or arm’s length bodies.

I have already offered an industry placement for a T Level student and it has started/completed. Can I claim this funding?

No. As part of the eligibility criteria, incentive payments are only payable where a T Level industry placement is yet to commence between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022. This is due to the scheme being available to incentivise employers to deliver industry placements. If, however, you deliver an additional industry placement(s) for a student(s) who commences their placement between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022, you may be eligible for funding for these additional placements.

I am already delivering an industry placement/have completed an industry placement as part of the Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF). Can I claim this funding?

No. As part of the eligibility criteria, incentive payments are only payable for T Level industry placements where the student is studying on a T Level programme and is due to commence their placement between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022.

I can offer a placement, but we are not going to be back in the office for some time, so we will have to supervise the student remotely. Is that acceptable?

No. As part of the Industry Placement Delivery Guidance, all T Level industry placements must be undertaken in the workplace and cannot be carried out virtually or remotely. This applies for any industry placement regardless of whether it is eligible for an incentive payment or not.

I can offer an Agricultural-based placement (or another subject not covered by a list of available T Levels being taught at this time). Will I be able to host an industry placement student and be eligible for an incentive payment?

No. As part of the eligibility criteria, incentive payments are only payable for T Level industry placements where the student is studying on a T Level programme and is due to commence between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022.

T Level subjects being delivered from September 2020 are in Construction, Digital and Education & Childcare. T Levels being delivered from September 2021 also include Health and Healthcare Science. Details of which providers who are offering which T Level can be found online.

I can offer a T Level industry placement but there are no providers in my local area delivering a T Level in a relevant field. Can I still receive an incentive payment?

No. As part of the eligibility criteria, incentive payments are only payable for T Level industry placements where the student is studying on a T Level programme and the placement is due to commence between 27 May 2021 and 31 July 2022. T Levels are being rolled out gradually from September 2020, and as such limited subjects are being delivered by select providers across the country. More providers will be delivering T Levels in a wider range of geographic areas and subjects in the coming years.