Engineering: T Level (Technical qualification) Automotive: Light and Electric Vehicles Maintenance Installation and Repair

Course overview

The purpose of this Automotive T Level is for you to know fundamental light and electric vehicle systems and undertake key procedures for maintenance and repair. You will have the opportunity to plan, perform and evaluate their work whilst utilising a range of materials, tools and equipment.

This qualification focuses on the development of knowledge and skills needed to work in the automotive industry. It will prepare you to enter the industry through employment or as an apprentice.

This two-year course has been developed in collaboration with leading employers. It is aimed at students aged 16-18 years old, and combines College-based studies in our Automotive Technologies department along with a minimum of a 45-day industry placement.

During this time, you will study a range of topics including maintenance, installation and repair requirements, fault detection and diagnosis, isolation and resolution methods and communication for maintenance, installation, and repair activities. Together with an employer-based project, the completion of this course will give you the opportunity to progress onto a Higher Education course, training or employment.

Course content

T Levels are courses for 16 to 18 year olds that are studied at the same level as doing A Levels. They are for young people who prefer a more technical education when they come to College, rather than following a purely academic pathway, or a work-based apprenticeship.

T Levels are two-year, Level 3 study programmes that will follow the study of GCSEs and Technical Awards at Key Stage 4 and offer an attractive alternative to A Levels and apprenticeships.

T Levels will combine classroom theory, practical learning and a minimum 315 hours of industry placement with an employer to make sure you have real experience of the workplace.

You will also need to achieve a minimum standard of English and Maths at GCSE grade 4 or above. The Technical Qualification (TQ) is the main classroom-based element of the T Level and will see you learning from a qualification that has been shaped by industry experts.

During the two-year programme, you will learn the core knowledge that underpins each industry and they will also develop occupationally specific skills that will allow you to enter skilled employment within a specific occupation.

The T Level programmes have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so the content will meet the needs of industry and prepare students for work. They provide the knowledge and experience needed to open the door to highly skilled employment, an apprenticeship or higher-level study, including university.

During this course, you will develop your knowledge and understanding of:

• Electrical systems and components, power sources, power units, and engine types
• Application of component classification, numbering and referencing systems
• How components are removed, replaced, and repaired as part of vehicle maintenance activities
• Skills to plan and prepare vehicle maintenance activities using evaluation
• Skills to select and use tools, equipment, and technology safely and effectively to complete vehicle maintenance, servicing, and repair activities.

You may be introduced to this specialism by asking themselves questions such as:

• How do light and electric vehicle systems operate and function?
• What components are used in light and electric vehicle systems?
• How maintenance and repair activities to light and electric vehicles planned and carried out?

This specialist course will also allow you to enhance your broader skills in literacy and numeracy, develop transferable skills in communication (working with real colleagues, customers and clients) and undertake research and live project development work.