Institute of Technology welcomes visitors for T Level Insight Hub event

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) recently hosted a T Level Insight Hub Day, welcoming sector peers to Stafford College following its appointment by the Department for Education and the Association of Colleges in October 2025 as one of only seven national T Level Insight Hubs.

The T Level Insight Hub programme has been established to showcase best practice across the sector and to support providers at different stages of developing and delivering T Levels. As part of this national initiative, NSCG will be sharing its expertise, experience and successful approaches to implementing these flagship technical qualifications.

A number of NSCG staff have been selected as T Level Insight Hub Mentors across a range of subject areas. These mentors, also known as “buddies”, will work in partnership with other colleges, offering insight into the T Level landscape, providing constructive feedback and sharing practical guidance to support high-quality delivery.

On Wednesday 11 February 2026, 28 delegates from 13 different providers attended the Insight Day, which took place across Stafford College and the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology (IoT).

The day began with an introduction to NSCG, delivered by Deputy Principal: Provision for Young People, Shelley Brown. This was followed by a presentation from Assistant Principal: Teaching, Learning and Quality, Gavin Barker, who shared an overview of NSCG’s performance across all T Level pathways and highlighted strategies in place to support student progress and achievement.

Visitors then took part in a series of workshops led by NSCG’s T Level Placement Officers, alongside employer partners from a range of industries including Legal, Health, Digital, Marketing, Business Management, Education and Early Years, Design, Surveying and Planning and Engineering. The sessions provided opportunities for discussion, knowledge-sharing and Q&A with both staff and industry representatives.

In the afternoon, delegates visited the Institute of Technology for a guided tour led by Georgina Barnard, Vice Principal – Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Guests explored the IoT’s industry-standard facilities, including its VR/AR immersive space, mock hospital ward, testing laboratories, robotics and automation equipment and advanced manufacturing learning factory.

The visit concluded with a curriculum spotlight session focusing on curriculum implementation, placement models, assessment strategies, resource development, employer partnerships and student preparation for industry placements, followed by a Q&A with current NSCG T Level students. 

Mark Kent, Director of Professional Studies from NSCG said: “Supporting the AoC and DfE as a T-Level Insight Hub really rubber stamps NSCG’s position as a centre that has developed an outstanding experience for its students and employer partners on a wide range of T-Level Study Programmes. 

“We are keen to support sector colleagues on their T Level journey and the insight hub day is another activity that demonstrates our collaborative way of working with a variety of regional and national centres.”