STELa is a £1.35m European Social Fund project which was launched in April 2021 and runs until July 2022. Working in collaboration with The Lancashire Colleges (TLC), Lancaster & Morecambe College are proactively working with employers through Employer Advisory Group meetings to ensure we design a Technical Educational Curriculum which offers our students meaningful work experience and industrial work placement opportunities ahead of the roll out of T-Levels in September 2023.

T-Levels are one of three major options for students to study which follow GCSEs and are the equivalent to 3 A Levels. They will run alongside apprenticeships for those who wish to study and train for a specific occupation. These 2-year courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares our students for work, further training or study. It is the aim of Lancaster & Morecambe College to ensure our students graduate with the required technical skills needed by today's employers.

STELa has been designed to help SMEs to:

• better understand their workforce and skills needs and the potential opportunities for industry placements and other work experience opportunities;
• promote the benefits of greater engagement in the education and skills system be that through offering placement opportunities or influencing curriculum content;
• increase the volume and variety of industry placements and other work experience opportunities available for college students;
• develop and trial innovative placement and work experience models which may be more attractive or practical for the SME’s individual circumstances and/or more appropriate to a student’s needs;
• support them before, during and after placements take place to ensure they are meaningful and add value for both the SME and the student as well as being safe and compliant. The support provided to each SME will be bespoke according to their needs and the number and type of placements they are able to provide.
• design and develop the content of the technical education curriculum through involvement in advisory and focus groups, helping to ensure it meets their current and emerging skills needs;
• design engaging and practical ways to involve them in curriculum delivery e.g. through offering masterclasses or project-based learning opportunities to students;
• refer them to alternative sources of support where e.g. a workforce skills development need is identified during the course of this project.