Students to learn how to work from home

A further education college will include home working within its T-level curriculum from September.

Lincoln College said it was to replicate how work was produced in some industries.

T-levels are a technical qualification that work closely with industry and are equivalent to A-levels. Part of the course includes a mandatory work placement.

Steven Horsfield, the college's assistant principal for heart, health and care, said 50% of the placements on certain courses, such as digital, could be done remotely and would give a realistic experience of working life.

Working from home became more widespread after the Covid pandemic in 2020 and latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 26% of people currently hybrid work – a mixture of working from home and at a workplace, while 13% work from home full-time.

There is also a growing divide between support and opposition.

Jonathan Reynolds, the government's business secretary, said flexible working was "good for productivity and resilience".

However, Lord Rose, the former boss of Marks and Spencer and Asda, said it had created a whole generation of people "not doing proper work".

Unions have also been involved.

Last year, hundreds of ONS workers voted to strike in a dispute over how often they come into the office.

ONS management insisted staff spent at least 40% of the time in a designated workplace after they had previously been able to choose how much of their working time they could spend in an office or at home.

Mr Horsfield said the decision to offer work placements that included home working was to "replicate what's going on in the industry itself" and said it was made after working closely with employers.

He said: "It's why we're so focused on holding employer boards, we speak to industry partners across all of our T-levels regularly and they really support us with how we develop and work with our learners.

"It's not a decision we've taken lightly, it's taken with lots of research and through the industries themselves, to make it industry specific with them."

Building surveying students at the college were generally supportive of the idea.

Ethan, 16, said working from home would not be an issue for him.

"I've picked this course because I wanted to do it, so finding the motivation is quite easy," he said.

"This course shows that you can work by your own accord and you can be more grown up about it."

Maddox, 18, thought people worked better from home but said it depended on the role.

He added: "From a design point of view it would be better, because you're in your home, it's a much more comfortable environment than being in an office, but with quantity surveying it would probably be better to be on site so you can see what you're working with."

Alfie, 18, added: "I think it comes down to the job, the profession and the person and what's easier and cheaper.

"But I definitely prefer coming in and physically doing it, but again, it's up to the person."

Lincoln College said it would only bring in remote working where it was suitable and relevant to the placement.