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If your 16-year-old has a passion, why not help them turn it into a fulfilling career?

The Government’s new T Level qualification is already helping hundreds across Kent do just that, and EKC Group is offering the largest variety of them this year.

Each T Level has been created in collaboration with industry leaders to make sure your child has the right skills to easily find a career when they leave College at 18. They have 45 days’ work placement built into the course, meaning your child will have hands-on experience of working in their chosen profession by the time they finish their studies.

This not only boosts their confidence in achieving their dream careers, it also boosts their confidence in themselves.It will also serve them in good stead at university and, as T Levels are equivalent to three A Levels in terms of UCAS points, this is a very viable progression route your child can take.

EKC Group – which runs colleges in Ashford, Broadstairs, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone and Sheerness – offers T Level courses in a huge range of subjects, from Education and Childcare to Light and Electric Vehicle Repair.

The wide variety in courses is only growing each year, with new T Level courses such as Catering and Hair, Barbering and Beauty launching across the Group in September.

EKC Group’s campuses are all easily accessible via public transport and have established strong links with local industries and Higher Education providers, meaning they’re well positioned to help your child find excellent placements and experiences which serve as fantastic springboards into a career.

Large scale investments have also been made across the Colleges to ensure T Level learners have the most up-to-date equipment and facilities possible, also helping them transition seamlessly into the workplace.

One student to benefit from these ties and investments is Leonie Earl, who is studying a Health T Level at Canterbury College. She notes: “The course has been really great. I've been able to use the skills I've learnt on my course during my industry placement at Crownwood Healthcare, a local nursing home in Temple Ewell.

“You really gain a connection with the residents and I feel like I'm making a positive difference to their time in the home. As well as carrying out everyday care, I'm able to shadow the nurses on their medical rounds and have carried out medical procedures.

“The Simulation Suite at College is brilliant, it has state-of-the-art equipment that we learn on, allowing us to practise carrying out hundreds of different medical procedures.

“In our first year, we visited Greenwich University and I had the opportunity to practise delivering a baby in their maternity simulation ward, which was amazing as I'm aspiring to study at university to be a midwife."

If your child isn’t enjoying their first year of A Levels, there is always the option to move from Sixth Form to a T Level pathway.

Joey Slack did just that, transferring from Sixth Form to the Digital Support T Level at Dover Technical College. He said: “I feel like at college you have more freedom; when I was applying for Sixth Form, I didn’t feel it was a very supportive process plus there was a limited choice of study. At College, I am treated more like an adult and have many more freedoms and more choice over what I do.

“Instead of having to mix with lower year students, I have the opportunity to socialise with like-minded and similarly aged people and everyone is treated the same.

“The Industry Liaison Officer I work with is very encouraging and supportive of the industry placement I am completing with the Port of Dover.It has been really enjoyable and I’ve picked up some intricate technical skills along the way.”

If you want your child to boost their confidence, skills and knowledge before beginning a career they’re passionate about, click here to see EKC Group’s T Level options.