Juvansrie Vijitharan had never heard of T Levels until he attended an open day at Leicester College. After enrolling on the Management and Administration course, he now plans to continue his studies at university and forge a career in business management.

Business owners “prefer experience to qualifications”

Juvansrie recently moved to Leicester from Lancaster – where he was attending sixth form –  and was given strong recommendations about Leicester College from family and friends. He decided to attend the open day and speak to staff, and was instantly intrigued by the T Level course in Management and Administration.

Juvansrie said: “I’d heard that business owners want students with experience instead of qualifications. Doing this T Level would allow me to finish the qualifications that I had been doing in sixth form previously, but would also give me the experience I was looking for by putting me into work placements. I’d never heard of T Levels before but after speaking to the staff at the open day, I decided to go for it.”

Juvansrie enrolled onto the course and instantly knew that it was the right choice for him.

“I had some catching up to do after moving to Leicester, but I was willing to put in the work and learn,” he said. “Once I’d caught up, I really enjoyed the course – it gave me so many new opportunities and was flexible too. The work placements that the College helped me to find were really insightful and let me put all of my theory work into practice in a real work environment.”

T Levels showed me my strengths

Juvansrie found that his course not only helped him develop his academic strengths, but also highlighted his personal strengths.

“I’d just moved to Leicester so I didn’t know the area or have many friends. But the course helped me to meet and build relationships with a diverse range of people, both at College and during my work experiences, and I was also able to explore Leicester and see what the city had to offer.

“I also had to catch up on work after moving here which was a bit stressful but I was resilient and got through it – I’m proud of that.”

Juvansrie was at Seville Bike Tourism for his first work placement and is currently going to StokBox, a specialist in zero-waste packing solutions, for his second one, giving him a well-rounded experience.

“I think my personal strengths have shone through because I was given a lot of duties on my placements. My employers could see my commitment to my work, as well as my willingness to learn and take feedback, so they gave me responsibilities that really helped me get more experience.”

 Looking to the future

Juvansrie is currently preparing for his final exams and thanks to the flexibility of his T Level, is able to fit in his revision around his work placement at StokBox. He plans to attend university after completing his course, and build on the skills and knowledge he has learnt at Leicester College.

“I’ve already started applying for university. I want to go into business management and I’m looking at branching into leadership. My preferred choice is Lancaster University – not only do I know my way around the city and campus but I did my research and they have some great courses in business management that would let me transition seamlessly from college life to university life.

“I would definitely recommend T Levels for anyone who wants to gain some experience and has some idea of where they want to go after school. They are a relatively new course – I’d never heard of them before – but Leicester College has really knowledgeable staff that deliver T Levels effectively, lifting students’ confidence and helping them get the best out of their chosen course.”