Robertson Construction Yorkshire & East Midlands are a part of a one of the largest construction, infrastructure and support service businesses in the UK. As a company, Robertson has been an enthusiastic early adopter of T Levels, embracing the opportunity to bring young talent onto live projects and develop future professionals from the ground up. Through a strong partnership with Bradford College, Robertson has supported learners through their T Levels.
For Robertson, T Levels are far more than a placement scheme, they are a pipeline of motivated, well-rounded future employees.
“I personally love T Levels. I’m a big fan. The work experience element is just a brilliant idea to get young people into the industry, but it also benefits employers to identify that talent early.”
says Robertson’s Social Impact Manager, Marta Langton.
Why Robertson Champions T Levels
Robertson has seen first-hand the value of welcoming learners into real work environments for a substantial period, a minimum of 45 days.
“We get that early access to young talent that we can nurture, develop, and put through the journey” says Marta.
Instead of relying solely on formal interviews, which can be intimidating for young people, Robertson observes students in practice, seeing their real capabilities, attitudes, and potential.
The Benefits to Robertson: Fresh Ideas & Digital Skills
Students like T Level student Lleyton Hurst bring new perspectives, enthusiasm, and confidence with digital tools. Lleyton is doing a T Level in Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction, and as part of that is completing his work placement at Robertson’s Airedale Hospital construction site in Steeton.
Marta says, “Lleyton has really taken the lead on our OpenSpace documentation. He does regular site walks using a head‑mounted 360° camera to capture progress. He has contributed new perspectives and improved processes.”
This digital fluency supports Robertson’s drive for modern, efficient site practices and helps embed new ways of working across teams.
A more confident, work ready young person
Marta notes a dramatic shift in students’ personal skills over the course of a placement.
“It’s like two different people from day one to day forty-five. The confidence, the communication skills, the way they can speak to so many different people, it’s amazing to see.”
A more confident, work ready young person
Marta notes a dramatic shift in students’ personal skills over the course of a placement.
“It’s two different people from day one to day forty-five. The confidence, the communication skills, the way they can speak to so many different people, it’s amazing to see.”
As they settle into life on site, students build strong communication and teamwork abilities, gain a real understanding of site culture, and experience a range of different job roles. They also develop hands‑on technical knowledge and leave with a much clearer sense of their future career path. These are qualities that are invaluable to employers and difficult to teach in a classroom alone.
Better recruitment outcomes than traditional graduate routes
The Robertson team highlighted that graduates often enter industry later, with fixed expectations and less practical grounding. T Level learners are different.
“They come in with no expectations. They know they’re in construction, but they may not be sure what role they want. Through the T Level pathway, they get experience with planners, design managers, site managers, QS teams… they still have time to specialise.”
T Levels enable Robertson to shape career journeys early, giving students a clearer understanding of the roles available and helping them make informed choices.
Benefits to Students
Many young people begin their course with limited knowledge of the breadth of construction careers.
“They don’t know the options available. Work experience shows them early that you could be a planner, a QS, a design manager, a site manager, these are roles they may never have heard of before” says Marta.
This real‑world exposure helps learners discover what they enjoy, understand the industry, build confidence, develop employability skills, and secure future roles or apprenticeships.
Robertson has seen several students’ progress from placement to long‑term careers with them.
Why Bradford College?
Robertson selected Bradford College because of its strong reputation and its delivery of the Design, Surveying and Planning T Level, which aligned perfectly with their project needs.
“We’ve got a really established relationship with Bradford College. When they approached us, we had capacity to support a student and were happy to give it a go” says Marta
Despite challenges such as project location, Lleyton is a highly motivated student who went above and beyond to secure his placement, even if it meant a long, complex commute.
Reflections on T Levels from the Robertson Team
Multiple team members expressed strong enthusiasm for the qualification:
“T Levels are brilliant. They provide well-rounded individuals and give students a real glimpse of what life is like on site” says Lindsay Hegarty, Business Development Director
They also emphasised how practical observation over 45 days offers a more authentic assessment of a young person’s potential than any interview could.
For Robertson Construction, T Levels have become a strategic and meaningful way to develop future talent, offer opportunities to young people, and enrich project teams with fresh perspectives and digital confidence.
The success stories of learners like Lleyton demonstrate how transformative these qualifications can be when employers embrace them fully.
“It’s that opportunity to get to know a young person. If they prove themselves, we’ve already had that 45-day trial and can give them that opportunity. It creates such a lovely and fulfilling journey” says Marta
Click here to find out more about T Levels and the courses we offer.
