From Theory to Practice: Our T-Level Journey at Cottam

At Cottam, we’re proud to support the next generation of business professionals through hands-on industry placements. This year, we welcomed T-Level Management and Administration students Aaron and Anna, who have brought energy, fresh ideas, and a passion for learning to our team. In this blog, they share their experiences, what they’ve learned, and how their time with us has helped shape their future career paths.

A bit about us…

Aaron: Hi, I’m Aaron a 17-Year-old T level Student at Cottam Brush. I am currently doing my final exams for my college course- T level Management and Administration in which I am predicted a merit. After my course I hope to progress onto an apprenticeship. In my spare time I enjoy swimming (competitive) and enjoy giving back and volunteering as a swimming teacher as my swimming club is a charity.

Anna: Hi, I am Anna an 18-year-old T-Level Student in Management and Administration. Today marks my final day of work placement at Cottam, having done 319 hours with the company. It is currently the middle of exam season for T-Level students, in which I am predicted a Distinction overall. I hope to go into business or education post university and look forward to continuing my studies in a degree which combines both at Newcastle University.

Outside of education I like to have a full social life which consists of seeing friends, family and going to gigs or the match. Whilst I think I may have booked Wembley a bit prematurely, I still have every some hope of not having to cancel the hotel and Sunderland being there in a few weeks. When I’m not out and about, I enjoy reading or going to hot yoga… after a Tik Tok doom scroll of course.

Why T-Levels were right for us…

Aaron: I whole heartedly believe that the T level course was the right course for me. This is because firstly I learn better in the classroom environment of a T level. My class is only ten people, and my lecturer stays the same throughout the course, which benefits my learning time. I also enjoy the flexibility of college as opposed to sixth form with things like dress codes being looser and having the opportunity to work from home when possible. I also consider myself a hands-on learner and part of this course is a 315-hour industry placement, where you can put your theory from college work, into practice.

Anna: When I was applying for post-16 education, I knew that I wanted to focus solely on one subject with minimal formal exams as I know project work is a better showcase of my ability – this is when I discovered T-Levels. Though a relatively new qualification two years ago, it was clear to me that a T-Level in business would be my ideal next step especially as Business was my favourite subject at secondary school. I was nervous about the industry placement but knew that it would grow my confidence and allow me to apply my learning to real world situations, a technique which has always helped me progress.

A bit about our course…

The T-Level Management and Administration course runs over two years with the first year covering key subjects and the second being a specialism in a business area.

Year 1 has two formal papers which each cover a selection of core subjects. It also has the first of the project-based exams – the Employer Set Project. The ESP is 23 hours overall and allows for us to demonstrate how the knowledge gained from the core components would be applied to a project within business.

In Year 2 an occupational specialism is chosen by the college. In our case it was Business Support. This year has one big exam called the Occupational Specialism which is 36 hours in total and broken down into 6 tasks of varying lengths. The long hours can make for some quite long and tedious afternoons!

Our expectations coming into placement…

Aaron: Coming into my placement role, I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t have a job and also had no work experience (It was meant to happen during covid so got cancelled) so I didn’t know what to expect. However, Cottam still exceeded my expectations and haven’t just treated me as another number, they have treated me as a valued member of their team.

Anna: On the first day of placement, I remember being nervous and unsure of what to expect. I hadn’t previously had a job and my work placement in secondary was not what I had expected. I hoped that my work placement would do what it is intended to do as part of the course and be an opportunity to apply my learning in the classroom. Cottam went above and beyond this hope by not only giving me opportunities to apply my learning, but by also teaching me more and providing me with activities which can be put on my CV and further developed my experience.

Why we chose Cottam…

Aaron: When we were deciding what placement to choose, the employers had a change to come and to the college and present to us about their opportunity. When Susan came into the college, she seemed genuine and seemed as she cared more about character and attitude than things like experience. She also portrayed that this would be a good opportunity to potentially progress in the business, rather than just getting some experience then leaving. Because of this I ended up filling out an expression of interest and eventually got an interview (An informal chat) and ended up getting the position!

Anna: As the placement companies came into college to present, there were a few standouts for me – one of which was Cottam. Cottam stood out the most against the other opportunities as they promised an opportunity to explore numerous business functions and made their values abundantly clear from the get-go, which gave me confidence that they were a company I would like to work within. The size of Cottam also appealed as I felt it meant that I would be able to interact with almost all staff regularly and get a sense of the general atmosphere. I’m happy to say Cottam did not disappoint and I was right to identify them as a standout.

Learning over the hours…

Aaron: While at Cottam, my knowledge has been ever expanding. It is one thing to learn theories in a classroom and it is another to put these into practice in a workplace. Cottam have given me the platform to put my knowledge of theory into practice into a proper working environment. They also helped me decide on my path for the future by showing me all around the departments of the business and how they function and cater to any requests made. No 2 days were the same at Cottam, one day I am working on a spreadsheet and the next, rescuing a dog back to its owner!

Anna: Over my time at Cottam my knowledge has continued to grow as well as my experiences. The placement has undoubtedly been the main driver behind cementing my knowledge of the components. In addition to helping with the learning in the classroom, Cottam also gave us opportunities to learn about other hot topics in business – most notably AI. By having an opportunity to develop my knowledge on increasingly relevant business topics, I feel Cottam has increased my employability as well as giving me the confidence to speak on topics I would not have previously felt I had the understanding to discuss.

Our next steps…

Aaron: I will be looking for any business apprenticeships that are local to me and hopefully will get one soon related to project management or business support.

Anna: When thinking about my next steps I have considered multiple avenues. I realised that despite doing business for so long, I may want to go into Primary Education as I feel this would be a rewarding job that I am confident I would be good at. Throughout my education, many teachers have played a pivotal role in helping me become who I am today, and I still remember them – this increased the appeal of teaching as I would love to be that teacher for the next generation of kids. As I still greatly enjoy business, I am considering a pathway into Secondary Business Teaching so that I can work within both interests. However, teaching may not ultimately be the career for me, and I am very much open to a career within business should opportunities arise that I know would give me the job satisfaction that I believe teaching would.

At present, I have received three offers from universities – two in Education and one in Combined Honours for Business, Education and Media. I am proud of the offers I have received and hope that I will maintain the grades for my top choice.