Tilly's T Level placement provides her with opportunity to redesign Holgate park she grew up in

But that is the exciting responsibility Tilly has been handed even though she completed her two-year Leadership & Management course at York College in the summer.

Proving that a T Level can lead to opportunities, contacts and professional relationships that extend beyond the qualification, Tilly will continue to be consulted on and provide her input into how Back Park in Holgate can be improved as a social space for teenagers.

Explaining her contributions to the scheme during her placement and continued involvement, Tilly said: “The project is part of McLaren’s social impact work and the park is somewhere I used to play.

“They are changing it, so it’s more suited to early teenagers and they have a specific area to go to, rather than walking around the streets, which can lead to antisocial behaviour. During my placement I did a presentation of my ideas and they seemed to like it. 

“I did a lot of research, including looking at parks in Amsterdam, because they have some really cool things like swinging chairs and stuff that's not too childlike. They also have seating areas and wireless phone-charging points, so parents can keep in contact with you. 

“They are like shelters and I’ve been out in that park when it’s freezing cold – it’s not fun! I’m really excited and proud that McLaren have chosen to keep me on for the project for the next few years.

“It makes me feel quite professional, because I’ll be involved in meetings and emailed any progress that’s being made. I’ve enjoyed being given some creative control and that everybody at McLaren wanted to hear my ideas and asked for them.

“Other people, from outside of the company who are involved, have also spoken about my ideas and that has made me feel really valued.”

Along with a sense of value, Tilly acquired greater self-belief and enhanced communication skills from her placement, which often saw her working on the huge-scale York Central regeneration project – a scheme that McLaren Property are contracted to as key strategic development partners.

“I definitely gained confidence and communication skills because I had to deal with a lot of different-aged people, which I would never really have had the chance to if I’d done A Levels,” Tilly reasoned. “I now have confidence in speaking to new people and knowing how to speak with them. 

“I was quite nervous going into a working environment, but the placement has taken that fear away when it comes to the time that I start my career. I’m looking forward to that after uni now, rather than feeling a bit scared.”

Bolstering that job readiness, Tilly also completed her placement having amassed a whole armoury of practical workplace skills, too.

“I did a lot of admin work and viewing of documents, as well as a lot of Excel,” she reflected. “I also did a lot of the comparisons for different schemes, like BTR (Build-To-Rent) and student accommodation comparisons. 

“That was mainly looking at the North, but I’d do some London comparisons sometimes, too. I did a lot of research, which I quite like, and helped put PowerPoint presentations together.”

A T Level placement sees students gain 315 hours of workplace experience and, while assistance is provided at College to secure willing employers, learners are also encouraged to take the initiative themselves.

Tilly learned about the social impact work being carried out at York Central by her dad, who works for Network Rail.

After making inquiries, she was subsequently invited for an interview and quickly became invested in what is one of the UK’s biggest current redevelopment programmes.  

“I didn’t know too much about York Central but, reading about it before my interview, made me really want to get the placement,” she said. 

“It’s a huge project that will go on for a long time, but it's interesting because it's so close to home. It’s where I live and grew up and there’s going to be this whole new thing that people don’t know a lot about, but the positive impact on York will be amazing.

“A lot of the times I was based in the Leeds office, but I was part of the architect meetings and was able to see what is being done. I also went around the site and the project manager would point out where everything was going to be and it made you realise, ‘Wow, this is actually going to be huge!’”  

Tilly’s T Level placement has also given her a clearer vision of what she would like to do for a living in the future.

Interestingly, it’s in a different vocational direction to that she anticipated before witnessing first-hand the varied work that McLaren undertake, further highlighting the important benefits that a combination of the qualification’s classroom learning and industry experience can provide.

“When I was doing my GCSEs, I wanted to become an estate agent, but that’s all changed now,” she declared. “I did enjoy being in property development and seeing all the things that go on, but I'd rather work with people more than numbers and buildings and, working there with other people and seeing all the different things that they need to consider and who they need to bring on, has helped me know what I want to do. 

“I’d like to work in project and change management, because I like problem solving and working with people and their emotional intelligence. We did a unit on the course on that and it was of so much interest to me.” 

Looking back at her post-16 decision to study a T Level, meanwhile, Tilly confesses that a big part of the appeal, along with the placement requirement, was the focus on coursework rather than exams.

“I came to an Open Event at College and knew I wanted to do something business-related,” she explained. “I’ve always been interested in business and I liked the coursework element to my Business GCSE at school.

“I don't enjoy tests. I do better sitting down and working when it’s not under controlled conditions in a huge hall so, when I heard about the Leadership & Management T Level with the placement and coursework, it felt the right fit for me.”

York College also felt the right fit for Tilly, as she looked for a greater level of independence than she felt might have been the case had she stayed on at school from 16 to 18.

“My secondary school has got a good sixth form, but I wanted to just get out, because I felt like, if I had stayed there, I’d still feel quite schooled,” she reasoned. “The people I know who stayed in sixth form did really well, but I feel different now, having been given a bit more independence. 

“You are left to your own devices a bit more at College, while still having people who can help and guide you when needed.”

Tilly went on to stress how what she was taught in class proved relevant when she was on placement with McLaren.

“The T Level is coursework heavy but it’s all related to work and business,” she pointed out. “We look at Gantt Charts a lot and Excel, as well as learning how to find information to use and put into making an idea. 

“It also develops your understanding when you see some of the tools we’ve used in class used on placement in a real-life scenario. What you learn in class makes you feel less out of depth when you go into the workplace because you recognise the words and systems that are being used.”

For more information about on our T Level in Leadership & Management course, visit here

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