Notts Healthcare AHP teams trailblazing T Level placements
For National T Levels Week (19-23 October 2026), we’re celebrating how Allied Health Professional (AHP) teams across Nottinghamshire Healthcare are helping to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals through innovative T Level placements.
T Levels are two-year qualifications, equivalent to three A Levels, designed to combine classroom learning with real-world experience. Introduced by the government in 2021, every T Level includes a substantial placement of at least 45 days, giving students the opportunity to develop practical and technical skills in a professional setting.
When a local post-16 college in Bassetlaw approached the Trust about offering placements for students on the therapies pathway, the AHP Practice Learning team were keen to embrace the opportunity. The initiative supports the Trust’s commitment to widening participation, opening up healthcare career pathways for local young people and helping them gain valuable experience within NHS services.
The Bassetlaw Community Therapy team and Bassetlaw Paediatric Occupational Therapy team are each hosting a student for one day a week over a 16-month placement. Team leaders quickly recognised the potential of these placements to provide meaningful career opportunities for young people who may not otherwise have access to hands-on healthcare experience.
AHP support workers have played a key role in making the placements a success. Working closely with the Practice Learning team, they have helped design placements that are safe, engaging and packed with learning opportunities for students Maisie and Olivia.
For Maisie, the placement has provided valuable insight into rehabilitation and patient care. Maisie says:
“I’ve learnt how different conditions can affect a person’s mobility and independence. I’ve also learnt the importance of being compassionate and understanding towards patients, as well as using the correct techniques to safely support them with their movements and exercises.
“My placement has helped me think more about my future career choices. Working alongside support workers has shown me how much patient contact they have, which is something I really enjoy and would like in my future career. I’ve also seen how rewarding physiotherapy and occupational therapy can be, especially helping patients improve their mobility and independence, which is such an important part of everyday life”.
Olivia’s placement has given her the opportunity to work closely with children and gain experiences across a range of professional roles. Olivia says:
“I have really enjoyed the hands-on nature of my placement, especially the opportunity to build bonds with children and see their immediate reactions to different sensory activities.
Through this experience I have learned how to adapt clinical interventions to suit a child’s developmental stage and how to communicate complex therapeutic goals to both the child and their caregivers.
While I’m not exactly sure what I want to do yet, my placement has offered me days with other professionals that has kept me open-minded about the various directions my career could take”.
Sally Knapp, Allied Health Professions Lead for Practice, Learning and Education said:
“By offering T Level placements, Nottinghamshire Healthcare is helping young people develop confidence, skills and experience while creating new routes into healthcare careers. The success of the programme demonstrates the important role that AHP teams and support workers can play in nurturing future talent and inspiring the workforce of tomorrow.”
The programme continues to grow, with four additional T Level students due to join community AHP teams across mid Nottinghamshire and Bassetlaw in November 2026.
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