<p>Hello readers, my name is Tom Hart, and I am studying the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin… and Administration T level</a> at Weston College. I would love to tell you about my industry placement at <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; and what it involves.</p><p>My placement at <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; involves me working closely with the finance team, together we process payments and manage all the financial aspects of Yugo around Europe. My role specifically is to help my colleagues ensure that the finances are accurate, delivered, and received on time. I spend a lot of time using systems like Xelix, NetSuite and Excel. I use these systems to create lots of information regarding Yugo’s finances. I am also very familiar with doing the physical post, some days involved me opening over 200 pieces of physical mail.&nbsp;</p><p>All of these processes might seem small scale, but they actually help <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; keep their tenants organised and up to date with their payments, there are over 160,000 tenants that are apart of <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo.</a&gt; The work that I do alone helps to cover thousands of these students and makes sure that their payments get through consistently allowing them to use <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo’s</a> services.</p><p>I have been learning many different skills that can really benefit my future career, things like accuracy, which is one of the most important things that I have learned, has been key in every piece of work I do for <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo.</a&gt; Having access to all of the experience around me is a huge benefit not only because of the knowledge they hold but also because of what they can give, and it has allowed me to learn much further than I thought I would have.</p><p>After arriving at the office, my first job is creating and processing invoices, normally I cover the Spanish invoices, but I also help do the Ireland invoices. Once that is completed, I help to organise the spreadsheets that a colleague may need help with, this can allow them to work on a further task at the same time as teaching me what I am doing with all the information and what my work leads to. Occasionally, I will make a trip down to the bank to transfer some cheques, or head down to the post office to post some mail. Finally, I have also been introduced into processing money into the business, allowing me to receive payments and send money out as well. My days normally vary but this is the main jobs that I do.</p><p>I have received lots of support from both <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; and Weston College. <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; have offered me many resources and different types of support due to me working a large amount of my time at home. My colleagues also have been very friendly with teaching and showing me what to do and if I ever go wrong, the environment feels like a very level playing field where everyone is equal, no matter the title or role.</p><p>Weston College have also offered lots of support, offering to help me find another placement if <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo</a&gt; couldn’t offer me what I was looking for, as well as helping me to adapt what I have learnt with <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo.</a></p><p>Weston College have given me more than enough resources through teaching whether it involves using real world systems like excel or understanding different sectors of business. Fortunately, my finance units in college have aligned with some of the work I do at <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo,</a&gt; allowing me to learn <a href="https://yugo.com/en-gb/home">Yugo’s</a> processes quicker than I thought I would have, also allowing me to work independently more often.</p><p>Some of the skills I have learnt include accuracy, communication, and understanding real life processes. These have allowed me to improve my formality, quality of work, and how well I work in a team. These skills will be beneficial to me in the future due to me wanting to pursue a career in finance and business. I have always found it difficult when someone asks me what I want to do when I am older, but this course and the placement have really helped me decide what I want to pursue when I’m older.</p><p>A standout moment for me was when a colleague gave me a piece of work to do that, he had been stuck on for a while, he explained to me that it was a long task that was taking him weeks to finish, so he asked me to have a go to get some more progress in, he said he expected that it would take me a few weeks to complete. So, when I completed the piece of work by the end of the day, the look of shock and appreciation on his face made me realise the good feeling of doing some hard work, and because of that it will be a standout moment for me for a long time.</p>

<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p><span>Through his company </span><a href="https://titanroc.com/"><span>Titan Roc</span></a><span>, UCW lecturer Craig Smith is giving T Level students studying </span><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… Production, Design &amp; Development</span></a><span> the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the games industry, contributing to the development of a commercial video game while building valuable skills for their future careers.</span></p><p>We spoke to Craig to find out more about his experiences of taking on students for their industry placements.</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><strong>Can you introduce yourself and your company?</strong></p><p>My name is Craig Smith, and I'm both a lecturer at UCW and director of <a href="https://titanroc.com/">Titan Roc</a>, a video game development company. We've recently released our first major commercial video game, <strong>Forsaken Realms: Vahrin's Call.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How has Titan Roc supported T Level students?</strong></p><p>Vahrin's Call was a mammoth undertaking for our company, taking 12 years in total to complete. Due to the sheer size of the game, it created lots of excellent opportunities for students to get involved and gain hands-on, real-world industry experience, whilst genuinely contributing to the release of a commercial video game.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What type of work do students get involved with during their placements?</strong></p><p>The students have primarily been involved in QA testing for Vahrin's Call.</p><p>This involves playing through the game with a critical eye, identifying bugs, spotting gameplay issues, and providing feedback on the overall player experience.</p><p>It's not just about playing video games. It's about understanding how games work, recognising when something isn't right, and communicating those findings clearly so the development team can investigate and make improvements.</p><p>It's a great introduction to the development process and shows students just how much work goes into making a game. In many cases, their feedback and critique have genuinely helped shape the final product.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What skills do learners develop by undergoing a placement at Titan Roc?</strong></p><p>I think one of the biggest skills students develop is attention to detail. When you're testing a game, you need to notice things that other people might miss. They also develop communication, teamwork, and analytical thinking skills.</p><p>It's extremely fun playing through a video game for the first or second time, maybe even more, depending on the type of game. However, when it starts to feel like a job, after the third or fourth playthrough, that's when their analytical skills really come into play. They have to look beyond simply enjoying the experience and start thinking critically about how everything works.</p><p>We'd like to think they also gain confidence working in a professional environment and develop a better understanding of the expectations and responsibilities that come with working in the games industry.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How does working with T Level learners benefit Titan Roc?</strong></p><p>We're a small company, so having T Level students involved has been incredibly beneficial for us. Having additional people testing our game and looking at it from different perspectives is extremely valuable.</p><p>When you've been working on a game for such a long time, you become so familiar with it that you inevitably start overlooking certain things. Bringing in students gives us fresh eyes and different ways of approaching the game, often highlighting things we might never have considered ourselves.</p><p>We're also not just getting support with our project; we're giving young people an opportunity to gain experience and potentially discover a career path they're passionate about.</p><p>We're always on the lookout for our next colleague, after all!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Are there any standout moments or success stories from your placements?</strong></p><p>There was a moment just before Christmas last year when the team had been working tirelessly towards a major production milestone. The T Level students had successfully completed their own targets, which were directly linked to the team achieving that milestone.</p><p>We had a meeting to sign everything off, and I tasked the students with breaking down everything they'd experienced and outlining, completely honestly, everything they would change about the game if money and time were no object.</p><p>I wanted them to forget about the usual constraints of development and just tell us what they really thought, without holding anything back.</p><p>That was, without a doubt, some of the most valuable feedback we've ever received, and we've run tons of playtests over the years.</p><p>It really demonstrated just how much value students can bring when you give them the opportunity to contribute and take their opinions seriously.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What advice would you give to employers considering offering industry placements?</strong></p><p>Honestly, just give it a go.</p><p>I think some businesses might worry about the time involved or whether students will have the skills needed to contribute, but you might be surprised by just how much value they can bring, especially if you give them meaningful work.</p><p>You don't need to overcomplicate things. Give them real responsibilities, support them where needed, and make them feel like part of the team. You might be surprised by what they can achieve.</p><p>I think T Level industry placements are a fantastic opportunity for both students and employers.</p><p>The games industry can be quite difficult to break into, especially when you're just starting out, so giving young people the chance to experience real development work is incredibly important.</p><p>There's often a big difference between learning about an industry and actually working in it, and placements like these help bridge that gap.</p><p>The earlier students gain that experience and understanding; the sooner they can develop the skills and confidence needed to reach the level the industry expects of them.</p>

<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p><span>For Trailblazer Tuesday this National T Level Week, we caught up with Sean to hear about his journey from completing a T Level with an industry placement at </span><a href="https://griffiths.co.uk/"><span>Alun Griffiths</span></a><span> to securing a Civil Engineering apprenticeship within the same company.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Sean's blog -&nbsp;</strong></h3></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p>My name is Sean, and I studied the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/surve…, Surveying and Planning for Construction T Level</a> at Weston College. I chose this course because I liked the fact that it included an industry placement, meaning I could gain practical, hands-on experience on construction sites as well as learning in the classroom. I felt this would give me a better understanding of the construction industry and help me develop the skills needed for a future career in the sector.</p><p>Throughout the course, I developed my skills in CAD software and gained knowledge of different areas of construction, including quantity surveying, project management and the responsibilities involved in various construction roles. The course also gave me the opportunity to apply what I had learnt in a real working environment through my industry placement, where I gained valuable experience of how construction projects operate day to day.</p><p>Some of my most memorable moments at college were the trips we took during the first year, including visits to the NEC. These were great opportunities to learn more about the industry, see different aspects of construction and get to know the rest of the class. These experiences helped make the course more enjoyable and gave us the chance to learn outside the classroom.</p><p>I completed my industry placement with <a href="https://griffiths.co.uk/">Alun Griffiths</a>, where I worked alongside one of their senior engineers on the <strong>BSIP Queensway scheme</strong> and the <strong>Junction 21 scheme.</strong> During my placement, I learnt how to use a total station and developed a much better understanding of the different responsibilities within a construction team. Being involved in live projects allowed me to see how the skills and knowledge I had gained at college were applied in practice, while also learning from experienced professionals working in the industry.</p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/A2dRhZ0R95o?si=R3C9DAI7s8-G8TDj&…; title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p>I began my placement in November 2025 and, earlier this year, I was offered a job as an <strong>Apprentice Engineer</strong> with <a href="https://griffiths.co.uk/">Alun Griffiths</a>. I believe I secured this opportunity by being reliable, showing up consistently and demonstrating my knowledge, skills and willingness to learn. Building relationships with the team and showing that I could contribute to the work being carried out helped me make a positive impression and progress towards my career goals.</p><p>My T Level confirmed that civil engineering was the career I wanted to pursue, as it allowed me to explore the industry in more depth and gain a clearer understanding of what the role involves. The industry placement was particularly valuable because it helped me develop many of the practical skills I will need as a civil engineer. It has also given me greater confidence and made me feel more prepared as I progress onto my HNC.</p><p>I would definitely recommend T Levels to anyone considering a career in construction. They provide a great balance between classroom learning and practical experience, allowing you to develop useful skills while gaining an insight into different job roles and what they involve on a day-to-day basis.</p><p>The industry placement is a particularly valuable part of the course, as it gives you the opportunity to put your learning into practice, build relationships with employers and potentially secure a job or apprenticeship. For me, the T Level was an important step towards becoming a civil engineer, and it has helped me build a strong foundation for my future career.</p>