T Levels: Everything you need to know about new Level 3 marketing qualification launching this year

• A new T Level qualification will be available from the start of the 2025/26 school year
• It will be a two year course, with a nine-week work placement
• The government says the qualification is perfect for young people interested in being an advertising executive, marketing researcher; or public relations manager

Students interested in a more careers-focused path after sitting their GCSEs this year will have a brand new qualification available to them, for the first time.

The Minister for Skills has confirmed that a new T Level in marketing will be available from 2025. The Government has been rolling out T Levels - a new series of technical, vocational qualifications - since the 2020/21 academic year, with some of the other most recent courses added being in animal care and management; craft and design; and media, broadcasting and production.

They are set to replace many BTECs and other vocational courses, with hundreds currently poised to be defunded later this year. Considered an alternative pathway to A Levels or apprenticeships for post-16 students, T Levels are designed with help from industries and employers - making them a good option for young people who know what they’d like to do after secondary school.

So what exactly will the new marketing T Level involve, and what will students learn in it? Here’s what you need to know:

How will the T Level in marketing be structured?

T Levels are Level 3 qualifications which typically take about two years to complete. They are loosely equivalent to taking three A Levels, and include a 45-day work placement, according to the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

According to the Government’s official T Levels website, the structure of this one will be similar. It will also be a two-year course, consisting of about 600 hours of guided learning. It will include at least nine weeks working with an employer in an industry placement.

The assessments will include two written exams on core subjects, each worth about 30% of your grade, and an employer-set project worth about 40%. As with other T Levels, students will also be given the option to specialise. Everyone taking the course will need to complete at least one module of occupation-specific content. Currently, only one choice is being offered for the marketing qualification - a multi-channel marketing assistant specialisation. This will also involve a separate project, which will also be assessed.

What will students learn in this course?

In general, the core course content will teach students the purpose of marketing, and the value it brings to a business. They will learn the key differences between consumers and customers and different ways to influence them, as well as ‘customer personas’ and how they can be used to design and determine effective marketing campaigns.

The course will also cover how marketing can help both for-profit businesses and charities or non-profits mean their goals as an organisation. This will include learning about different types of promotional activities alongside more direct marketing - from advertising, to sales promotion, to public relations.

Students will learn how to mix and match these different channels to create a coordinated marketing campaign, using what is known as the 7P marketing mix. These stand for product (design, features, packaging, unique selling points); price (determining demand at different price points, competition-based, cost-plus, skimming, premium etc.); place (distribution channels, physical or online location); promotion (messages, media, channels and timing of promotional activities); people (employee training, recruitment of people with skills and understanding of role); process (sales funnel, payment systems, distribution procedures, managing customer relationships); and physical evidence (environment, logo, branding, social media presence).

If you’re interesting in more detail on what exactly the qualification will cover, the complete course specifications are available for download on exam board Pearson’s website. You can find this here.

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Who is the new T Level for?

The new T Level is aimed at students considering working in the marketing sector. The Government says that potential careers could include being an advertising or media executive; a digital marketer; and e-commerce manager; an events manager; a fundraiser; a marketing assistant or manager; a marketing researcher; or a public relations manager.

Of course, students can also use this T Level to progress to a related apprenticeship, or another course of study at university level or beyond.

Which subjects or vocations do you think England should introduce T Levels in? Have your say and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.