“What’s a T Level?” we hear you ask. Don’t worry, we didn’t know either…
Introduced for the academic year in 2020, a T Level is a post-GCSE I qualification, broadly equivalent to three A Levels. Developed with educators and employees, they’re crafted to meet the needs of industry, preparing students for skilled employment, apprenticeship or technical study in higher education.
Working with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation on a pilot programme, this is the first time the Pi Foundation has created resources for post-16 vocational education.
A raft of curriculum materials has been created under the topic of digital environments, which covers computer system hardware, software, networks and cloud environments. Designed for teachers to use in the classroom, these are complete units of work with lesson plans, slide decks, activities, a progression chart and assessment materials.
The Pi Foundation’s research while working on the programme found a relatively low number of school-age people starting apprenticeships in the UK in 2019/20. For example, a 2021 Worldskills UK report stated that only 18% of apprentices were aged 19 and under; 39% were 19-24; and the remaining 43% were people aged 25 and over.
For details and links to materials: https://bit.ly/lxf313tlevel
Pico Ethernet
Take an RP2040 SoC, cook up a custom PCB, splice together a one-of-a-kind USB-C cable and behold – a fancy custom Pico clone that sports Ethernet networking over the USB-C cable! From stalwart Pi project master Alan, you can find out more here: https://bit. ly/lxf313net
PiWings 2.0
A fresh Kickstarter campaign has taken off for a Pi Pico-powered drone, as well as an ESP8266-12E module that offers wireless features for setup and POV glasses. With support for four to six motors, LED lighting and USB-C charging, you can read more details here: https://kck.st/42F4DnW
