First Digital T Level accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form College has been awarded the first Digital T Level accreditation by BCS, Chartered Institute for IT, demonstrating its commitment to T Levels, the newest qualification for young people.
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has been actively supporting digital T Levels since their inception. With the digital industry suffering from a severe skills shortage, a shortage that is only growing, BCS has paid close attention to education establishments that are breaking the mould and delivering the latest qualifications.
Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form College (Thorpe St Andrew) were one of the first providers to be selected to deliver Digital T Levels from September 2020. Although new to delivering the Digital T Level curriculum, the first cohort of students at Thorpe St Andrew who graduated in 2022 achieved either merit or distinction – a testament to the investment of time and resource that Thorpe St Andrew made towards Digital T Levels.
Having engaged with BCS’s Digital T Level Support Programme, Thorpe St Andrew asked if they could accredit their college for Digital T Levels. The accreditation process reviews the extent to which the programme delivers the industry insight and professional behaviours that the digital industry requires.
Following this request, BCS undertook a comprehensive assessment as to whether Thorpe St Andrew were meeting the requirements for accreditation.
The assessors were particularly impressed by the ways in which Thorpe St Andrew had actively engaged local employers in the delivery of the T Level. Not only did they work with local employers to provide industry placements for students, they also secured placements for teaching staff and speakers on a variety of key topics to inspire the students. Furthermore, local employers were providing feedback on students work, enabling students to learn from industry rather than a textbook.
Zoe Spilberg, Director of L&D Development and Deployment for Education at BCS said “The enthusiasm and commitment of the staff and the students was truly impressive. Their Digital T Level programme offers students opportunities beyond the already rigorous requirements of the T Level. Despite their early success, it was clear that the course tutors were continuously seeking feedback from students and employers to drive ongoing development of their programme.”
After an intense assessment, Thorpe St Andrew were informed that they would be the first school/college to be accredited by BCS for Digital T Level delivery. Speaking of this achievement, Neil Tiddy, Executive Curriculum Leader at Thorpe St Andrew said “We are proud to be the first T Level Digital centre to have our program accredited by the BCS and this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of employers who have supported us with the delivery of this course”.
Penny Bignell, Principal at Thorpe St Andrew said “it is fantastic that our leading work on the new T Level Digital has been acknowledged and we are delighted that students are participating in this course and we have even more students joining us at TSAS from across Norfolk to be part of this forward thinking qualification for their futures”.
Thorpe St Andrew hope that this accreditation will encourage more young people in the local area to consider a Digital T Level and a career in digital. Having this "badge of approval" should give young people and their parents confidence that they will learn the required skills and behaviours to begin a long and successful career in an ever-growing and everchanging industry.