Big Yellow Bus takes T Level training to Black Country and Birmingham schools
The Sandwell Colleges’ Big Yellow Bus is visiting schools with hands-on activities to showcase technical courses and career opportunities
A bright yellow bus is visiting schools across the Black Country and Birmingham to give pupils a hands-on introduction to technical qualifications and potential career paths.
The Sandwell Colleges’ Big Yellow T Level Bus is back on the road for National T Levels Week, which runs from October 19 to 23.
The roadshow is visiting secondary schools to showcase courses available at Sandwell College in West Bromwich and Cadbury Sixth Form College in Kings Norton, including health, engineering, digital, construction, marketing and education.
Pupils can try practical activities linked to different careers, from basic coding with a robot dog and exploring human anatomy to virtual reality nursery simulations and interactive engineering challenges.
They can also meet teaching staff, learn about employers offering industry placements and find out more about the colleges’ facilities.
These include a healthcare training centre at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital site, where health students can learn in clinical settings and access placement opportunities at the neighbouring hospital.
Lisa Capper MBE, chief executive and principal of The Sandwell Colleges, said T Levels offered a valuable route into employment and further study.
She said: “Combining classroom learning with valuable hands-on experience through industry placements and employer projects, they provide students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to progress into their chosen careers.”
The colleges are also hosting events on campus during the week, including guest speakers from Speakers Trust and construction company Balfour Beatty.
The celebrations will conclude with the signing of an Employer Skills Pledge with Moundsley Hall Care Village, which has provided placements for students on Cadbury Sixth Form College’s health programme.
T Levels are two-year qualifications taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent in size to three A levels. Developed with employers, they combine classroom learning with at least 45 days of industry placement.
The Sandwell Colleges has expanded its T Level provision since 2023, offering courses including cyber security, legal services, business management and media broadcast and production.
A new T Level in design, surveying and planning is due to be introduced at both Sandwell College and Cadbury Sixth Form College in 2027.