Willmott Dixon’s T Level programme supports our ambition to help 1,000 people into employment by 2030, while creating skills, education and social value outcomes for customers and communities.
It also supports our ambition to help 1,000 people facing barriers to employment move into careers by 2030, while helping customers deliver skills and social value outcomes.
Responding to a shared skills challenge
Construction needs more than 200,000 additional workers by 2030. Meeting this challenge requires employers, education providers and customers to work together so young people understand the careers available and gain the experience needed to progress.
T Levels provide an important bridge between education and employment, allowing students to apply classroom learning, develop technical and employability skills and make informed decisions about their futures.
Working with 26 college partners across England, Willmott Dixon supports pathways including Design, Surveying and Planning; Building Services Engineering; Management and Administration; and Digital Technology. By the end of 2026, nearly 400 students are expected to have undertaken placements or worked with us through the programme.
Supporting the new DfE placement framework
Securing suitable placements can be difficult for colleges, particularly where employer capacity, geography, project availability or individual student needs make a traditional placement hard to arrange.
In June 2026, Department for Education guidance was updated to give more flexibility in how placements are structured.
Our approach reflects this flexibility. Placements can take place on live projects, in offices, through college-based activity or, where appropriate, online. Students can experience areas including project management, design, commercial management, digital technology, building services, sustainability and social value.
This helps colleges provide meaningful industry experience while responding to barriers such as additional needs, caring responsibilities, confidence or limited access to employers.
Delivering social value for education customers
For DfE frameworks, schools, colleges and other public-sector customers, T Level placements turn construction investment into longer-term skills and employment outcomes.
Under the PPN 002 Social Value Model, the programme can contribute to skills for growth, employment and training for people facing barriers, and a pipeline of future opportunities through placements, mentoring and apprenticeships.
Activity can be aligned with individual projects and communities, with outcomes captured through placement hours, mentoring, skills development, student feedback and progression into training or employment. This gives customers measurable evidence of social value delivery rather than relying only on one-off careers events.
Measurable experience and progression
Since 2023, Willmott Dixon has delivered 727 T Level placement weeks. Since 2024, the programme has also generated:
- 1,626 hours of mentoring, training and project support
- £82,700 in measured social return on investment
- Careers engagement with more than 36,000 students
- Sessions involving 276 teachers and careers advisers
In Northern England, 80% of apprentices recruited into the business first completed a T Level placement with Willmott Dixon.
Former T Level student Poppy Wilkins completed more than 300 hours of experience across two projects before joining our Management Trainee Programme in 2024.
Reflecting on her Design, Surveying and Planning T Level at North Kent College, Poppy said:
“The structure of the course, especially the placement, helped solidify my interest in a construction career. The variety of site experiences expanded my understanding of the industry and gave me a clearer picture of the kind of work I want to do in the future.”
By working with education providers and customers, the programme turns construction projects into practical learning environments, giving young people experience, confidence and clearer progression routes while helping build the skilled workforce the sector needs.
Poppy has since represented Willmott Dixon externally at the South East Construction Technical Excellence College (SECTEC) launch at the House of Lords, speaking about the role technical education can play in developing future construction talent (pic below).
