T Level placements are opening doors – for students and departments – at this leading STEM university.

Cranfield University is a postgraduate-only university in Bedfordshire, specialising in science, engineering, and management. In recent years, the University has opened its doors to T Level students from MK College.

Maria Levet, Talent & Development Co-ordinator and T Level Lead at Cranfield University, explained: “We’ve been employing apprentices for many years across a range of programmes, including engineering, IT, and science. In 2024, we piloted our first industry placement with a T Level student from the Science Laboratory programme. The placement was a great success, and we’ve since hosted four students from the Engineering and Manufacturing T Level programme.

“People across the University are starting to understand what T Level placements are and are curious about how they support our work. We’re currently working on an administration and business placement for Autumn 2025 and hopefully another science one too.”

Having joined the University in 2022, Maria has been working closely with MK College and specifically on T Level placements since 2024. “The placement team has been excellent. They’re always responsive and supportive whenever I’ve had questions. It’s also been a pleasure to welcome members of their team to campus for progress meetings and to show them the facilities the students will be using.”

The partnership builds on a pre-existing relationship between the two institutions. “We chose MK College because there was already an established relationship through apprenticeships. Their provision really aligns with our requirements in STEM subjects, they provide excellent support to employers, and their students are based locally, which makes it easier for them to get to our campus. It just felt like a natural step to keep working with the same provider.”

Maria is clear about the mutual benefits of hosting T Level students. “It’s great that the University is supporting these placements. How else would young adults understand that universities are workplaces and find out what we do at Cranfield? This gives them a chance to see behind the scenes of a university as a workplace.”

“The T level students have also been a great resource to the departments. The line managers know they need to offer something structured and meaningful. It has to work for both sides – for the student and for the team. So far, it’s been great. The students have come in, picked things up quickly, and asked all the right questions.”

Her advice to other employers? “Definitely do it! If you’re already thinking about it, then it’s likely to work. Once you’ve got the right guidance in place and done all your checks, such as insurance, risk assessments, safeguarding, it’s actually really easy and straightforward.

“The College helps a lot with setting everything up and there is helpful guidance available from the government to help you through it. Just allow yourself the time to prepare properly. Treat the first one as a pilot placement, then reflect and implement improvements each time.  The college, student and line manager will always hold an end-of-placement review to look at what worked, what we could improve, and to learn from it.”

To find out more about offering work placements through MK College, contact the Work Experience Team at: workexperienceteam@mkcollege.ac.uk