Digital Software Development T Level

Why study this course?

The world is being transformed by digital technology, resulting in a huge shift in how we embrace and embed technology into our lives.

The T Level Technical Qualification in Digital Software Development is a new 2-year course that is an alternative to A-levels. It has been designed with employers to reflect the needs of the sector through developing some of the most sought after skills in the UK. The Digital T Level will equip you with industry knowledge and a range of high tech digital design skills required to develop interactive and digital products. It will provide you with an up-to-date qualification within an ever-changing industry and enhance your employability within a dynamic market.

Over 125+ higher education providers have confirmed T Levels are suitable for entry, including 80+ Universities. Depending on your overall grade you might decide you wish to apply to University, study a degree apprenticeship or join the world of work. 

As part of the course you will complete a 45 day industry placement working with an employer. This will give you hands-on experience in the digital sector by working at firms such as Amazon, IBM, KPMG and Cisco and give you skills that employers will value. See Our Partners tab for more details.

What will I learn?

The T Level is split into two parts (known as components).

In the Core Component you will learn about the digital industry and the following digital-related topics:

  • Problem solving
  • Introduction to programming
  • Emerging issues and impact of digital
  • Legislation and regulatory requirements
  • Business context
  • Data
  • Digital environments
  • Security

The Occupational Specialist Component is where you’ll really get your teeth stuck in and develop the digital skills in preparation for your career in the industry. In this component you will:

  • Be able to analyse a problem to define requirements and acceptance criteria aligned to user needs
  • Apply ethical principles and manage risks in line with legal and regulatory requirements when developing software
  • Discover, evaluate and apply reliable sources of knowledge
  • Design, Implement and test software
  • Create solutions in a social and collaborative environment
  • Implement a solution using at least two appropriate languages
  • Test a software solution
  • Change, maintain and support software.

Overview

1800 hours over two years (with flexibility) to include:

  • Core content
    • Paper 1: Digital analysis, legislation and emerging issues
    • Paper 2: Business Environment
    • Employer set project
  • Occupational specialist content
    • External set project
  • Industry placement with an employer (315 hours/45 days)

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for 16+ students who are passionate about the Digital world and want to pursue a career in the Digital industry. It is the equivalent to three A Levels and provides a route into a range of Post-18 pathways. You could progress to:

  • Undergraduate degree course
  • HND programmes
  • Industry apprenticeships
  • Industry based Degree Apprenticeship

A T Level in Digital Software Development will prepare you for a variety of career paths within the IT industry, including: web developer, web designer, software developer, computer games tester, computer games developer, E-learning developer, user experience (UX) developer.

Further information can be found in the presentation from our Sixth Form open evening below:

Digital T-Level

2.40 MB

Ready to apply? Click here.

Please refer to Entry Requirements for admission criteria for this course.

To find out more about what our Digital T Level students get up to, please check out our Blog.

Our Digital students attended the IBM Think event in London.

Hear from a Digital Software Development T Level student:

Further information about this T Level is available on HM Government website.