T Level - Digital Support Services - Industry Excellence Academy

This brand-new T Level qualification in Digital Support Services is co-developed and co-delivered with employer partners such as IDT Support Solutions.

As one of our Industry Excellence Academy programmes, by studying this course you'll be working with industry specialists who will give you the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to pursue a career in the digital support industry.

This course specialises in digital infrastructure and aims to create young professionals who are occupationally competent in this field. Units that you will study include:
• Virtual and physical network infrastructure
• Cloud computing
• Cyber security governance
• Ethical hacking
• Data handling
• Legal and regulatory obligations relating to digital technologies
• Privacy and confidentiality of personal data
• Technical, physical and human aspects of internet security
• Communication in digital support services
• Fault analysis and problem resolution.

Those successful in gaining a place on a T Level will be eligible for the ‘T Award', a package of benefits that includes:

• £300 per year bursary*
• Curriculum based incentives
• Free branded work wear
• Opportunity to take part in exciting college-wide competitions
• Minimum 20% delivery by industry experts
• Access to industry standard laptop* (as appropriate)
• Guaranteed progression to a Higher Education course at UCEN Manchester
• Bursary incentive if progressing to UCEN Manchester
• Minimum 45- day industry placement
• And much more

*Subject to requirements including 95% attendance, positive attitude and grade profile.

Min 5 GCSEs grade 4 or above including maths and English. Preferable grade 5 in maths and English.

Work Experience is a vital part of the course and you will be supported in finding a work placement relevant to your study.

The T-Level is made up of three components: Core, Occupational Specialism and Industry Placement.
Core is made up of two written papers and a practical called the Employer Set Project (ESP). Core papers are sat at the end of first year and are 2-2.5 hours long. The ESP is broken down into several tasks and is assessed over two weeks in the first year. Core makes up 50% of your final grade and focuses on assessing your Knowledge and some Skills from the course.
Occupational Specialism is assessed via an Occupational Specialism Project (OS). This is a large practical project lasting roughly 30 hours broken down into several assessment tasks and sat over the second half of the second year. The Occupational Specialism makes up 50% of your final grade and focuses on assessing your Skills and some Knowledge from the course such as: Setting up and managing virtual machines and digital environments; writing appraisals and risk assessments and communicating with technical and non-technical users.
Industry Placement
The work placement will be over 45 days. You will have the opportunity to work with one or two employers within in the IT industry over 45 days. Your work placement could be one or two days a week, or over a number of weeks. We have partnerships with many digital organisations and placements are offered based on the success of a series of interviews conducted by the college and the employer.

Upon successful completion of this qualification, you will be able to progress onto a Higher Education course with our partner UCEN Manchester and complete a Foundation Degree in Software Development, Network Security, Network Engineering or with an optional top-up year to earn a BSc (Hons) degree.
Alternatively, you may progress on to an apprenticeship, degree apprenticeship or entry-level job in the IT support and networking sector.
Career opportunities include:
- Infrastructure technician / admin
- IT Support technician / admin
- Desktop Support Analyst
- Systems Security Analyst
- Helpline Support Advisor
- Network Administrator
- Data Communications Analyst
- Cabling Engineer / technician

If you need help with affording college, there are a number of different finance and funding options available to you. You might be eligible for special bursary support or extra help from the government. Have a look at our fees, finance and funding page to find out all the information you need.

Do you have a burning question about this course, or would you like to know more about the qualification you'll receive and how it will help your career?
Our course enquiries team is on hand to help you understand any details and answer any questions – whether it's about applying for the course or finding out about finance. Just get in touch here!