Sector Support: T Level Industry Placement Coordinator (IPCO) Support in NHS Integrated Care System

Minimum requirements to qualify to apply – as a minimum, applicants must:

·       Represent an entire Integrated Care System.

·       Not have received funding for an Industry Placement Coordinator, (IPCO), under the Pilot grant.

·       Be able to upload a "statement of support" for your application from your relevant Integrated Care Board.

·       Nominate a ‘lead organisation’- the NHS Trust that will support the IPCO on their payroll.

·       Declaration of any conflicts of interest that could compromise the conduct of the project.

·       Declaration of general resource availability within the timeline of the project.

·       Agreement to the publication of delivery details.

·       Confirm you would be able to access and provide the necessary documents/evidence, relating to the IPCOs salary costs which are, as a minimum, Payslips, Employer National Insurance & Employer Pension Contributions as these are necessary to facilitate monthly grant payments.

Outcome no. 1 – Increasing awareness of T Levels in Health sector: Enhance the awareness of T Levels and technical education within NHS trusts by recruiting seven Industry Placement Coordinators (IPCOs). These IPCOs will advocate for the benefits of hosting T Level Industry Placement students, fostering a culture of high-quality industry placements within NHS trusts. By the end of the project's first year, on 30th September 2026, they will also showcase best practices to other NHS employers, demonstrating the positive impact and successful integration of T Level students..

Outcome no. 2 - Increasing number of Industry placements in health and priority sectors serviced by ICSs:  Increase the number of IPs in the NHS ICS and wider region by establishing partnerships with T Level providers, with a particular focus on placements in priority routes such as Health, Digital and Engineering. In this project, we will ask applicants to self-benchmark as part of the bid process, allowing progress to be measured and targets to be agreed with the Grant Manager. This initiative aims to address the skills needs of the NHS and meet current and future workforce requirements, aligning with the Secretary of State’s priority to drive productivity by bringing education and employers closer together.

Support ICSs to reduce administrative pressure to find placements by having clear processes for: development of role profiles, interviewing/allocating students, signing agreements, inductions, mid-placement reviews, any placement splits and end of placement reviews.

Achieve these partnerships and placement targets by the end of the programme 31st March 2028.

Outcome no. 3 – Improve labour market outcomes and progression opportunities: Enhance labour market outcomes and progression opportunities for T Level students within the ICS’s and NHS by giving students a high-quality industry placement experience and establishing a clear pathway to employment within the NHS with additional mentoring and support post-placement or further education. Grant recipients will be asked to capture levels of student satisfaction with their industry placement (IP) experience through regular feedback. This will include methods such as post-placement surveys, focus groups, and exit interviews to gather insights. Additionally, employer-level data will be collected as part of the grant to monitor the effectiveness of placements and track student progression.

Outcome no. 4 – ensuring consistent quality of IPs across ICSs: Ensure quality and  consistency of IP delivery across ICS and wider region, by implementing a placement progress monitoring process, with a clear contact point for line managers and students who are interested in offering a placement and taking a T Level. This is to be implemented by the end of the programme 31st March 2028. The framework should standardise processes and practices to ensure consistency, efficiency, and sustainability in offering T Level IPs in the NHS. The goal is to facilitate ongoing IP growth and development, making it easier, more cost-effective, and efficient for ICSs to manage and expand their IP offerings beyond the duration of the project.

Outcome no. 5 – Establishing a Sustainable Framework for Long-Term IP Growth and Development:  Develop and implement a strategic framework for T Level industry placements (IPs) that can be universally adopted across the NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and maintained at a national level.

To achieve this, new IPCOs will be encouraged to share good practices across their region through working groups, regional networks, and other collaborative platforms. This will facilitate knowledge exchange and ensure that successful strategies and approaches are disseminated widely, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the project. Additionally, IPCOs will be encouraged to share, re-use, or build on materials, templates, and resources produced by other IPCOs to reduce duplication and promote efficiency.

ICSs delivering T Levels should incorporate this framework into their workforce pipeline strategies to ensure sustainability is maintained beyond the end of the programme. The framework should be completed and implemented by 31st March 2028.

• The launch date of this competed grant application is Thursday 8th May

• For any "Clarification Questions" during the application process please send them to our dedicated and monitored inbox below: ics.tlevelsupport@education.gov.uk

• The "Clarification Question Window" will open from Thursday 8th May

• The "Clarification Question Window" will close on Friday 23rd May

• The application submission date is Friday 30th May at 12.00 noon

Click 'Start new application' above to be taken to the T Level Industry Placement Coordinator (IPCO) Support in NHS Integrated Care System (2025-2028) competed grant fund application form.

All necessary details about the fund and application instructions are included in the downloadable "Invitation to Bid for Grant Letter" attached to this Find a Grant advertisment.If you have any problems accessing the application form, or the downloadable Invitation to Bid for Grant Letter,  then please reach out to our dedicated and monitored email inbox for this competed grant which is: ics.tlevelsupport@education.gov.uk

Click 'Start new application' above to be taken to the T Level Industry Placement Coordinator (IPCO) Support in NHS Integrated Care System (2025-2028) competed grant fund application form.