Professional Development for Leaders

Our Professional Development for Leaders programme will provide you with a solid understanding of T Levels, so you can shape the direction of your organisation, support the wider leadership team and monitor progress and outcomes.

The programme is split into the following areas: 

  • Curriculum Leaders and Managers
  • Understanding T Levels for Leaders and Governors
  • T Level Leadership Mentoring Programme

Leadership courses are a mixture of online and face-to-face courses. We recommend you complete the online on-demand course first at a time that suits you. This will ensure you are prepared for the live online/face-to-face course and will help you get the most from your CPD activity. 

About the course

This training is for curriculum leaders and managers who are, or will be, leading and managing the planning and implementation of T Levels. This course is split into two workstreams:

  • Designing the T Level curriculum
  • Working with employers

There is the option for two workshops to be facilitated flexibly within a day’s training. In-house training can be facilitated for your team as a group, either face-to-face or virtually. Please contact your Area Relationship and Development Lead for more information.  

Curriculum Leaders and Managers in FE: Designing the T Level Curriculum

This course for curriculum leaders and managers will give you the knowledge and confidence to design a T Level curriculum that will help your learners succeed. You will gain a clear understanding of the core components of T Levels including industry placements, employer-led projects, embedding core skills and the systems and processes required to create effective curriculum plans. You will also get to grips with the key principles of curriculum design for T Levels so that your team can reach the best outcomes for your learners.

Book now.

Middle Leaders in Schools: Designing the T Level Curriculum

This course for operational middle leaders and managers in schools will help you to develop your change management and collaboration skills to enable successful T Level delivery. You will gain the knowledge and confidence to use a range of tools to plan for the requirements of T Levels. You will also understand the key principles for managing a T Level change project to introduce a new curriculum.

Curriculum Leaders and Managers in FE: Working with Employers

This course will help you to develop effective curriculum plans and employer partnerships. The course will focus on strategies for building strong relationships with employer partners to enable the co-design of the curriculum and delivery of the work placement for T Levels, as well as providing resources to support with the process.

Book now.

Middle Leaders in Schools: Working with Employers

This course for operational middle leaders and managers in schools will help you to develop effective curriculum plans and employer partnerships. The course will focus on strategies for building strong relationships with employer partners to enable the co-designing of the curriculum and delivery of the work placement for T Levels. You will receive resources to support with the process.

T Level Leadership Mentoring Programme

The programme is suitable for anybody involved with, or preparing for, any element of T Level leadership, operation or strategic. You may or may not have formal line management responsibility, but you will be involved with the management of T Level or T Level Foundation Year delivery, or be aspiring to do so, for example team, qualification or subject leadership, or be leading on the planning and organisation of strategy, curriculum, assessment, teaching, placements or marketing and recruitment.

The programme is neither subject specific nor a provider-matching service; most mentees are mentored by an ETF-based specialist leadership coach with a broad knowledge of all T Level subjects. 

You may be a senior leader, middle leader or manager, teacher, lecturer, assessor, industry placement officer, quality lead, marketing lead, TLA coach or something else entirely. We know that your job title may not reflect the T Level responsibilities you have, and that titles and roles will differ depending on whether you are in an FEC, SFC, school or ITP. Regardless of role, it is essential that you are keen to embrace a mentoring mindset and are willing to engage with approaches based on self-reflection.

The programme is suitable for those pre-delivery or already in-delivery – space to reflect is valuable at any stage. Those who have completed the programme before are welcome to reapply if they are now facing new challenges.

Mentees can explore a range of topics with their mentor, including: curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, marketing, recruitment, placements and employers, logistical planning, upscaling, leadership styles, change management, staff challenges, time management, difficult decisions or choices, changing roles, strategy, personal aspirations and many more. 

This mentoring programme will provide you with:

  • a confidential, neutral and objective space to explore challenges with a specialist mentor
  • focused support towards the successful delivery and development of T Levels or the T Level Foundation Year
  • an opportunity to grow your wider leadership skills through coaching and reflection
    the chance to develop your understanding of mentoring and coaching to support others. 

Find out more about our programme.

  • six hour-long online 1-2-1 mentoring sessions (roughly one session every 3-4 weeks for 4-5 months)
  • six hours of reflective practice (including a regularly submitted reflective workbook)
  • online course completed in preparation for and alongside sessions.


Remission funding is available for your organisation so you should be supported in protecting your participation time. If the full programme is completed, the total remission available is £600.

Applications for the Spring 2026 cohort are now open until 23 January 2026.

Please read the application guidance carefully and ensure your application gives enough detail for the selection panel to consider. You will be asked about why you want to commit to a coaching and mentoring relationship, what challenges you are facing, and your personal development and leadership goals.

To apply, please use this form.

If you have any difficulties applying for the T Level leadership mentoring programme or have further queries about the programme, please contact TLmentoring@etfoundation.co.uk.

Accessing the courses

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The Education Training Foundation (ETF) is pleased to offer in-house delivery on a range of T Level Professional Development (TLPD) courses for groups of practitioners.  

Developed by ETF and funded by the Department for Education (DfE), these courses are designed to support further education (FE) and skills providers who are delivering or preparing to deliver T Levels across a range of routes and contexts. 

They are led by Delivery Partners who can share valuable insights based on their extensive knowledge and delivery experience. 

The following courses are currently available for in-house delivery: 

Curriculum Leaders and Managers in FE: Working with Employers (3 hours)
Curriculum Leaders and Managers in FE: Designing the T Level Curriculum (3 hours)
Middle Leaders in Schools: Designing the T Level Curriculum (3 hours)
Middle Leaders in Schools: Working with Employers (3 hours)

Depending on your needs, you can choose: 

in-person delivery at your organisation (a minimum of 10 attendees)
virtual delivery via Zoom (a minimum of 10 attendees) 

Participants do not need to be employed by the same provider – so you are welcome to join a cohort, or partner with friendly providers. 

How to apply 
Please  contact your Area Relationship and Development Lead for more information and/or to book the course(s).   

(Note: we require at least 1 months’ notice to arrange delivery). 

Operational Middle Leaders and Managers: Leadership and Professional Practice for T Level Planning and Implementation

This course is designed to support staff in leadership and management roles with specific responsibilities for areas such as T Level management; curriculum; academic and business support; and employer engagement. It explores leadership practice and the collaborative working that underpins T Level implementation. Complete this course at your own pace via the online learning platform (six guided learning hours). Access the course here.

Operational Middle Leaders and Managers: Leading and Managing Curriculum Change for T Levels

This course is designed to support staff in leadership and management roles with specific responsibilities for areas such as T Level management; curriculum; academic and business support; and employer engagement. It explores the curriculum change that underpins T Level implementation. Complete this course at your own pace via the online learning platform (six guided learning hours).
Access the course here.

Are you leading the introduction of T Levels at a strategic level? This 15-minute video is for governors and leaders and will give you an introduction to T Levels, identifying four key strategic areas to consider when adding to a 16-19 curriculum. Access the course here.

How to view: Please create an account or log in to ETF’s learning platform to access the e-Learning course.