17yr old wants to drop out of T level course

[EmHx3]

Hi. I'm just asking for help and advice really.
My 17 year old son wants to drop out of his T Level course at collage.Hes I his second year. He's really hating it. Even getting him there is a mission. He really wants an aprentiship instead but where we live the type of job he wants are very few and far between.
If I agreed for him to drop out what would happen to us as parents and my son. I have no idea how this works. TIA

It would he a shame to drop out now with only 7 months to go.
Apart from losing child benefit nothing would happen.

I work in FE, this is a common theme with 2nd years, it would be a shame to drop it now.
There is no legal responsibility to keep him in education until he is 18 but he needs to be in some sort of "training", basically he has to have a job.
The bottom line is (and this is one all of the parents I speak to hate) you have no say. He can withdraw himself from college without your consent. If his attendance is dropping, the college will withdraw him eventually anyway as they are not legally obligated to keep him.

It appears to be one of the problems with T levels in that you get no qualification after 1 year. With the extended diploma BTECs, if college did modules in a sensible order you could leave part way through with something in the bag.

I would tell him he has to stick at the T level until he can get the right job/apprenticeship. Dropping out then doing nothing (whilst searching for the right job/apprenticeship) is not an option I would accept.

And in the meantime talk to his tutor about how he is feeling. Why doesn't he like it anymore, what specifically doesn't he like, is there something the college can help with.

Does he know what he wants an apprenyiceshop
in ?

My ds is doing a college course then hopefully an apprenticeship but apprenticeships start in September so he’d have to take a full time job until September - that’s even if he’s successful. Would your son be happy to take any old job if that’s the case with his chosen apprenticeship ?

I would push my ds to talk to the careers advisor at college before leaving for good. They will hopefully have some good info about the industry that ds would like to join and some tips to find apprenticeships.

Is the T level course relevant to what he wants to do? Since he's only got 7 months left I'd be encouraging him to finish it, you can't stop him if he wants to leave, but I'd be clear he needs to be signed up for another course or getting a job.

Tell him to finish the year, and start now applying for apprenticeships. They are like gold dust, he'll do well to get one.

Could not agree more with this.

He needs to keep at his T-Levels as it will show future employers that he can get up and go each day and has ambition. And he needs to start applying for those apprenticeships now. Lots are advertising already for intake next summer.

Can he drive too? If there aren't many apprenticeships near to you encourage him to learn to drive and look at towns within commuting distance. Same if he can get to a train station, look at apprenticeships in the nearby towns that the trains go to.

Basically though try and encourage him to keep going unless he finds something else to go to which is better. Encourage him to take to someone at College and encourage him to drive.