Securing the future of technical skills through T Level placements
We are passionate about inspiring the next generation of plant and microbial scientists and are proud to have hosted our first two T Level students in 2025.
T Levels are broadly equivalent to three A Levels, but students spend 20% of their course time on an industry placement, allowing them the opportunity to experience the world of work and gain skills that employers are looking for. As a founding signatory of the Technician Commitment, at JIC we believe T Levels are an important part of helping to secure the future of technical skills in the UK.
We were pleased to formally welcome our first two T Level students, second year Laboratory Science students Katie and Lewis from the University Technical College Norfolk, for five weeks in January.
Katie was hosted by research assistant Dr Marina Franceschetti, from the Balk Lab. Katie did her full 315-hour placement with Marina and had the opportunity to learn new skills, as well as to put into practice what she had learnt in the classroom. Katie said: “This placement has definitely made me consider plant science more, and widened my horizons to see what I could do and what possibilities are out there.”
Lewis was hosted by postdoctoral researcher, Dr Maria C. Hernandez-Soriano. Reflecting on his experience, Lewis explained just how much he had learnt, from new techniques like DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to transferrable skills, through attending a Presentation Skills training course at the John Innes Centre. Lewis reflected: “I’ve had a good time on my placement. My favourite part was learning to do DNA extraction, that was really fun. It’s nice to leave knowing I now know people working in this field.”
But it wasn’t just the students who enjoyed the experience. Speaking to our hosts Maria and Marina, their enthusiasm for the placements was clear. Marina said: “From a human point of view, it’s a really nice experience. These are our future young scientists and we need to keep in touch with them, understand them a bit more and get to know them.”
Maria explained: “I enjoyed the experience very much. It’s been really motivating for me and rewarding to see Lewis working so well with lab members. It’s also been nice to get fresh eyes working on the story.” Maria also shared that she decided to host a T Level student because she sees the importance of supporting future talent and has had very good experiences hosting student placements in the past. She continued: “I really love what I do and love sharing that with other people.”
Gary Wortley, Chatt building laboratory manager, was fundamental in getting this project off the ground. He explained: “Science is something that sits in your soul and heart, as well as your mind. I strongly believe it is the duty of all of us working in the science world to do three things: ensure the best research is performed, continue to learn through our endeavours, and then share the knowledge we’ve attained.
“It’s vital that we nurture the people who will be the future of science, encourage them to ask questions and enable them to gain an experience in the fields they are interested in. I’ve always loved being involved with outreach projects, but it’s also important to put science in-reach for those who feel the passion.
“I think the T Level vision is the missing link in science education, in teaching technical skills as well as theory. An added bonus is the fact that longer periods of work experience are required. This enables students to gain real experience of science in action, but also gives the hosts the returned benefit of seeing the student grow and their work contribute to the host’s work and successes.”
Dr Shannon Woodhouse, education programme co-ordinator, said: “We are pleased to already be preparing for the arrival of our next two students, this time from City College Norwich, who will be hosted by the laboratory support team over the summer. This exciting development will give the students the chance to be a part of another vital team at our institute.”
The institute is looking forward to continuing to offer T Level placements for students in the future. After all, in the words of Marina: “If we don’t give them the chance, how on earth are they going to learn?”
