Opening doors: How T Levels are connecting Birmingham’s young people with business

Written by Aston University Engineering Academy

Summer 2026 was a year to celebrate at Aston University Engineering Academy (AUEA), with Accounting and Finance T Level students achieving an outstanding 19 Distinctions and 3 Merits.

Behind those results is a partnership that sits at the heart of AUEA’s approach to T Levels: students, teachers and employers working together.

AUEA offers T Level pathways in Accounting, Finance, Legal Services and Marketing, combining classroom learning with meaningful industry experience.

The aim is simple – to ensure young people leave education not only with a qualification, but with the confidence, skills and professional experience to take their next step.

For many students, an industry placement is their first experience of a professional workplace. It is an opportunity to see how organisations really operate, work alongside professionals and discover careers they may previously have known little about.

And that experience can be powerful.

A finance student can see how financial decisions are made in practice. An accounting student can experience the day-to-day workings of a finance team.

Marketing students can contribute to live campaigns and content, while Legal Services students can gain an insight into the wide range of roles available across the legal profession.

But industry engagement at AUEA goes beyond placements.

Employers support students through live projects, workplace visits, mentoring, talks and industry insight activities, bringing the curriculum to life and helping students understand the connection between what they learn and where it could take them.

For employers, there is an equally important opportunity.

Engaging with students gives businesses the chance to help shape their future talent pipeline. Young people gain insight into the skills their chosen industries need, while employers can introduce students to career pathways, apprenticeships and opportunities within their organisations.

Today’s student completing a live project or walking through the doors for their first placement could be tomorrow’s apprentice, graduate or employee.

Perhaps most importantly, these partnerships create access.

Not every young person grows up with professional networks or knows someone working in law, finance, accounting or marketing. Sometimes it takes just one workplace visit, one conversation with an employer or one successful placement for a student to begin seeing a career as something genuinely within their reach.

The achievements of the Class of 2026 show what can happen when those doors are opened.

Their 19 Distinctions and 3 Merits are first and foremost a credit to the commitment and determination of the students themselves. They also reflect the dedication of the teachers who supported them and the employers who gave their time, expertise and opportunities to the programme.

As AUEA’s T Level provision continues to grow, so too does its ambition to work with more organisations across Birmingham and the wider region.

Because when education and industry work together, the impact can extend far beyond the classroom – helping young people build confidence, discover opportunities and become the talent that businesses will need in the future.

Pictured from left to right: Kyro Baker, Hanna Begum, and Daniel Mwangi