Substack continues to double down on video amid TikToks uncertain future in the U.S. The company announced on Monday that its rolling out a scrollable video feed in its app, making it the latest platform to introduce a TikTok-like feed.Given the timing of the launch, Substack is likely aiming to capitalize on the potential void left by TikTok if it faces a ban in the United States.The move comes a month after Substack announced that it would start allowing creators to monetize their videos on the platform and let them publish video posts directly from the Substack app.Substack first launched native video back in 2022 and later introduced an in-app Media Tab in 2024. The tab has now been redesigned into a scrollable video feed that will feature short-from videos under 10 minutes. Substack plans to launch long-form and podcast previews in the feed soon.Image Credits:SubstackThe company believes that the new feed will allow for better visibility and discovery for creators trying new formats while also giving readers a better way to come across new perspectives and voices beyond their inbox.The new feed also allows Substack writers and creators to move beyond text-based newsletters to explore multimedia content, which the company says they are already doing.As of February, 82% of the platforms top-earning writers are using multimedia up from just over 50% last April, Substack says. The company believes the new video feed with supercharge this momentum, as it allows creators to grow their audience right where they publish.For instance, a creator who has a Substack newsletter may also post short-form video content to TikTok. Now, they are incentivized to share the same short-from video content on Substack.With this new TikTok-like feed, Substack is looking to meet the growing demand for quick, bite-sized content. Substack joins numerous other popular apps that have launched their own short-form video feeds following TikToks rise in popularity, including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Netflix, LinkedIn, and more.

Electric trucking company Harbinger has filed an objection to the sale of Canoos assets to its CEO, potentially throwing a wrench into the two-month-old bankruptcy case.Harbingers objection, filed late Friday, accuses Canoo of hiding certain assets from the sale process, including what the startup purchased from another bankrupt EV company, Arrival. It also accuses Canoo of listing assets that Harbinger believes the startup did not actually own (though it did not specify which ones). Harbinger said it came to this determination after it considered buying the assets and gained access to the virtual data room for potential bidders.Whats more, Harbinger says the sale process has so far unfairly favored Mr. Aquila, referring to Canoos CEO Anthony Aquila, who reached an agreement to buy the assets in early March. Harbinger claims the bankruptcy trustee accepted Aquilas offer without widely marketing the sale of the assets or obtaining an appraisal. The objection is the latest twist in the rocky relationship between Harbinger and Canoo. Harbinger was created by a handful of former Canoo employees in 2021. Canoo sued Harbinger in late 2022, alleging that those employees absconded with trade secrets.That trade secret case was still active when Canoo filed for bankruptcy in January. In fact, one of the things Aquila is purchasing along with the assets is an interest in any settlement Harbinger may wind up paying to Canoo. One particular clause of the purchase agreement states that Aquila and the trustee have effective approval over any settlement in the Harbinger case. Harbinger argues this could violate the Department of Justices handbook for Chapter 7 trustees. The trustee in the case, Jeoffrey Burtch, and a lawyer for Canoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers representing Aquila and Harbinger declined to comment.

InterviewsCaptain America Brave New World: Dan Cox (VFX Supervisor) & Sidney Kombo-Kintombo (Senior Animation Supervisor) Weta FXBy Vincent Frei - 31/03/2025 With two decades of experience in visual effects, Dan Cox has contributed his expertise to various studios like ILM, Blizzard Entertainment, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Weta FX. His filmography includes titles such as The Adventures of Tintin, Black Adam, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: The Way of Water.Last year, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo took us behind the scenes of Weta FXs work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Now, he returns to talk about the new Captain America.How did you and Weta FX get involved on this series?Dan Cox (DC): We were approached early in production to take on the previs work for the Red Hulk sequence. We met with the producers of the film as well as the director. We were given the script, asked to build out the third act based on that kickoff. Prevising the third act with the client was iterative and intensive, which allowed us to explore lots of ideas and action set pieces.Sidney Kombo-Kintombo (SKK): It started with the question of how we could create a convincing fight between a human Captain America and the Red Hulk. We then created a quick test of an action sequence as a proof of concept, as Dan mentioned. It was received well by the client side. And from there, I was asked to oversee the creation of the Red Hulk animation on Weta FXs side.How do you feel to be back into the MCU?DC: It is always fun to jump back into the Marvel universe. Its a blast to work on these hugeprojects with such rich characters. Having the opportunity to introduce the world to a new Marvel character is both challenging and exciting.SKK: It is always a humbling experience and a privilege to be considered for the screen interpretation of a fan favourite comic character. It was exciting to be part of that new challenge.How was the collaboration with VFX Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro?DC: Alessandro has worked with Weta FX before, so I feel like he came into the project with a lot of confidence in us. He was a great collaborator as well and gave us plenty of space to take risks and come up with new ideas. Ale came in halfway through the project, but very quickly made it his own. He was a real champion of Weta and we love the opportunity to work with him.SKK: Ale really has mastered the art of collaboration. He knows what is needed and puts you in a position where you feel empowered and trusted to develop and push concepts and ideas. We really enjoyed having him as our counterpart both humanly and professionally.What are the sequences made by Weta FX?DC: Weta FX completed the third act of the film. From the moment of transformation of Ross to Red Hulk in the White House Rose Garden, till the moment he transforms back to Ross in a destroyed Hains Point. Our action took us from the Rose Garden to the rooftop, past the Washington Monument, through the forest of Hains Point, onto the streets of Hains Point.Red Hulk is a highly anticipated character, especially with Harrison Ford portraying him. Can you walk us through the initial design process and the challenges of capturing his likeness while staying true to the actor?DC: We were given a design from the Visual Development team at Marvel, with the overall height and proportions of the character pretty set in stone. We took this design and made some adjustments to the body to make it more anatomically correct, which allowed us to build a sophisticated creature rig to drive it.I pitched the idea to Bill Westenhofer (the VFX supervisor at the time) that we could add some of Harrisons features into the Red Hulk design to give it a closer likeness to the iconic actor. He gave us the thumbs up to have a play and see what we could come up with. We were adamant that the eyes of Red Hulk should be 1 to 1 the eyes of Harrison, which really helped us when animating Red Hulk. We made mouth adjustments to give the asymmetry that is dominant on Harrisons face. He has a very subtle but distinctive look to one side of his mouth that we put in. This allowed us to hit mouth expressions much more like Harrison as we got into animating. We then made adjustments to the nose from the original design, playing with scale and proportions, to look more like Harrisons nose. All of these in combination gave a strong likeness to the actor in the design.How did you approach Red Hulks facial animation?SKK: All facial animation on Red Hulk was keyframed. We used reference from Harisson to analyze and identify key features that make him unique and created a bank of expressions that we used throughout the show. Paul Seyb, our facial lead, did a tremendous job developing a workflow that was consistent from one shot to the next and maintained the illusion of life.The fight between Red Hulk and Captain America is a major sequence in the film. What were the biggest artistic and technical challenges in animating this battle, particularly in terms of weight, power, and fight dynamics?SKK: Lets say that it was as fun as it was challenging. The weight and the speed are the two parts of the equation that we try to solve on pretty much every shot. We are fortunate to have a very capable crew of stunt artists at our mocap stage, that gave us a solid foundation for the movements that I was designing for Red Hulk. Once we had that captured, the next stage was to augment and complexifie the performance by adding a layer of keyframe. We pushed the key poses and overlapping actions, to better sell the appeal and the weight of that monster of a guy. So, you end up with a mix of say 35% of mocap for 65% of keyframe. There were simply too many shots where keyframing was the fastest way to the intention that we had in mind. And for that, the animation crew produced some of the best bipedal animation Ive seen in a long time.Red Hulk has extreme musculature and proportions. How did you develop his muscle system and simulations to ensure realistic deformation, especially during fights and high-impact movements?DC: We started by collecting a lot of references of body-builder type physiques to better understand the proportions and range of motion of that body type. We hired a body builder/actor from New Zealand named Joel Oliver. We had him perform many of the actions from the film and recorded the performance from multiple camera angles. I passed this to our creature team to use as reference. We then modelled a new high-resolution muscle set and moved to a new and improved simulation engine. Then we developed a complex multi-layered approach to muscle activation (this included a combination of automated, animated, and anticipatory muscle activation in conjunction with shape targeting and delayed recruitment between different sections of muscles) pioneering a new way to add additional fine detail to the skin. Finally, we worked through the complexities of transforming President Ross to Red Hulk form including bones breaking and reforming, driving under skin vein detail and clothing ripping and disintegrating.Lighting and shading are crucial for a character of this complexity. How did you approach Red Hulks look across different lighting conditions in the film?The lighting was fairly straight forward as the majority of the scene takes place in late afternoon. The most difficult part of the lighting was maintaining a certain color range in the red skin. The client was very particular about the color red. As we added sky fill, the skin would go magenta. As we added green canopy light from the trees in the forest, his skin would go orange. There were constant adjustments being made to keep Red Hulk the right red for the movie.What were the biggest challenges in animating and simulating Red Hulks interactions with his environment, such as destruction, impacts, and dust effects?DC: Mainly it was the quantity. Every time Red Hulk interacts with something, the client wanted it damaged or destroyed. This meant every footfall had interaction. We were destroying sod in the White House Rose Garden. We were breaking stone or bending the rooftop panels on the White House rooftop. We were breaking up the concrete for every footfall on the street at Hains Point.Were these systems pushed further or enhanced specifically for Captain America: Brave New World? If so, what aspects of the pipeline were adapted or developed for this project?DC: Specific developments implemented for Red Hulk included using Loki for muscle sims on a hero character, striations work for additional skin detail, as well as combining the layers of muscle activation, automation, animation, anticipation, and striations weve done some before but not all combined. We also added the delayed recruitment of certain muscle sections, like to the pecs to get a pec roll effect. We also established dynamic substeps for our solver based on the velocity of Red Hulks limbs to deal with his super hero moves.Some sequences involve large-scale destruction. What were the biggest technical challenges in simulating the collapse or damage of the environments while maintaining a high level of realism?DC: We have methods for large-scale destruction. It was the compounding destruction that proved to be the most difficult. Breaking a building takes a lot of artistry, but we have the artists to do it. Now rebreaking the same building multiple times is a challenge. It is a multistep process of destroying something, modelling a new end state, and then passing that back to FX to destroy again. Rinse and repeat. There needed to be a lot of coordination and planning to get all of the destruction and end states managed.Looking back on the project, what aspects of the visual effects are you most proud of?DC: I am extremely proud of Red Hulk. He is such an iconic character anyway and then to have Harrison Ford play the character was the icing on the cake. Even though we have some pretty sophisticated creature tools and development at Weta FX, we wanted to innovate even more for Red Hulk and raise the bar again, and we certainly did that. The creature work is some of the most sophisticated and complex work that Weta has ever done. To have a shirtless character with a chiseled physique on screen for the entire thirdact was always going to be difficult, but the teams at Weta stepped up and delivered again.SKK: We were lucky enough to be prevising the work on this show. Lots of what you see in the final product was designed in-house. Camera movement, pace, and scale. Seeing how it ultimately panned out was a real subject of pride for the Weta FX previs team. Im proud of all our work but the achievement of the previs department on this film has the edge for me.Which sequence or shot was the most challenging?SKK: Animation-wise, the most challenging thing was the animation of the muscle. We have to have a solid understanding of anatomy and dramatic timing to artistically direct what would be seen on screen. There are shots that we had to reanimate the muscle for close to a dozen times before getting it right. It took a bit, but the results were worth the efforts.Is there something specific that gives you some really short nights?SKK: Honestly, no. Once we determined what type of behavior the Red Hulk would have, it became a fun ride for the motion team.What is your favorite shot or sequence?SKK: Too many of them to pick one, but the angry Hulk after Cap says You want me? may be my preference.What is your best memory on this show?DC: Working with a lot of new faces. Weta FX is a big company so it is a lot of fun to get to know new people while working on large projects like this.SKK: Spending time on set with the client team, Ale and Yas, and understanding right there that we were building a special sequence.Whats the VFX shots count?DC: Weta completed 297 shots for Captain America: Brave New WorldA big thanks for your time.WANT TO KNOW MORE?Weta FX: Dedicated page about Captain America: Brave New World on Weta FX website.Alessandro Ongaro: Heres my interview of Production VFX Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Alabama-based aerospace and defense manufacturer Cummings Aerospaces 3D printed Hellhound S3 has completed its first flight at a US Army test range.The S3 is a turbojet-powered loitering munition that can travel up to 384 mph and conduct long-range precision strikes against armored vehicles, tanks, and fortified positions. The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) completed its successful test flight during the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2025. This annual US Army exercise, held at Fort Moore, Georgia, on January 30, 2025, assessed emerging small-unit warfighting technologies.During AEWE, the Hellhound S3 conducted one GPS-guided tactical mission using an inert warhead payload. According to Cummings Aerospace, the 3D printed fire-and-forget weapon achieved all primary mission objectives during the test flight. The demonstration revalidated the airframe and key subsystems at Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL-7), proving the systems reliability in a realistic, tactically relevant environment. Cummings engineers also gathered valuable insights and feedback from warfighting experts, enabling them to refine their one-way attack drone further.This AEWE milestone builds on 12 Hellhound airframe tests conducted over the past two years. This includes flight trials at Pendleton Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Range in Oregon earlier this year. These tests saw the 3D printed precision strike drone validated for the US Armys Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program. Set to kick off later this year, LASSO comes as the Pentagon accelerates efforts to restock Americas munitions arsenal.Hellhounds performance at AEWE 2025 highlighted a fundamental reality speed matters, and quadcopters and prop-driven drones take too long to get downrange, commented Cummings Aerospace CEO Sheila Cummings. While quadcopters and propeller-driven drones will still be puttering along behind friendly lines, Hellhound will already be over the target area, giving IBCTs the ability to strike faster, reach deeper into the battlespace, and decisively engage fleeting, time-sensitive targets.Hellhound turbo-jet-powered loitering munition. Image via Cummings Aerospace.3D printed loitering munition boosts US Army warfightingHellhound S3 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to provide the US Armys Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) with Armored Brigade-level combat power. Built to meet LASSO requirements, it enables infantry operators to strike targets beyond line of sight while minimizing collateral damage.Weighing under 25 pounds, including the vehicle, launch canister, and ground control system, the S3 is lightweight enough for a single infantry soldier to deploy, enhancing small-unit mobility and combat effectiveness.Cummings Aerospace designed this loitering munition with a modular architecture. It can deliver conventional warheads, electronic warfare systems, or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads. According to the Huntsville-based manufacturer, soldiers can swap payloads in under five minutes without tools.Cummings Aerospace manufactures the turbojet-powered Hellhound S3 using 3D printing and US Department of Defense (DoD)-approved commercial components. This combination reportedly streamlines logistics and provides advanced warfighting capabilities at a lower cost than competing systems.In the coming months, the US defense manufacturer will conduct additional Hellbound S3 flight tests to bring the entire weapons system to TRL-7. It will also submit a formal proposal offering their loitering munition to the US LASSO program. Concurrently, Cummings is set to conduct additional demonstrations and tests for other defense customers outside the DoD.US solider launching a loitering munition. Photo via Sgt. Gregory T. Summers, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/US Army.Additive Manufacturing for US defenseThe DoD is increasingly embracing additive manufacturing to help address growing domestic demand for airborne munitions. Last year, the Pentagon increased its annual budget request for missiles, munitions procurement, and related research and development from $9 billion in 2015 to $30.6 billion.3D printed attack drone manufacturer Firestorm Labs was awarded a five-year, $100 million US Air Force (USAF) contract to enhance 3D printed UAS designs with advanced autonomy. Through the contract, the USAF can issue multiple task and delivery orders over five years, with performance periods extending up to 24 months after the final order.San Diego-based Firestorm employs its 3D printing-based XCell manufacturing unit to fabricate critical defense components near the front lines where conventional supply chains may be disrupted. Available as two 2-foot containers or a single 40-foot container, the XCell is optimized for on-demand production of UAS and spare parts. Dan Magy, Firestorm Labs CEO and Co-Founder, believes the new DoD contract validates the companys work in modular UAS development. This award reflects the Air Forces confidence in our ability to deliver adaptable, cost-effective UAS solutions that redefine operational possibilities, Magy said.Elsewhere, US-based space technology 3D printing firm X-Bow Launch Systems recently added $9.85 million to its existing DoD contract to develop 3D printed solid rocket motors (SRM). The new funding brings the total contract value to $28.67 million, supporting continued development of next-generation propulsion systems for US-made missiles.Another company that produces 3D printed missile SRMs for the DoD is Colorado-based rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major. Last year, the company received $12.5 million from the US Navy and the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) to scale SRM production using its Lynx 3D printing technology. This followed news earlier in 2024 that the company is 3D printing the Navys Mk 104 dual rocket motor, which powers the SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows the Hellhound turbo-jet-powered loitering munition. Image via Cummings Aerospace

New York Citys premier WNBA franchise is touting what the sports organization calls the first-ever practice facility designed by players, for players. Populous is ideating the New York Liberty venue in Brooklyns Greenpoint neighborhood, in collaboration with professional athletes and Clara Wu Tsai, Governor of the New York Liberty. Hot off their 2024 WNBA Championship win, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart have been working with Populous to inform the design of the new practice facility. In a recent press statement, the New York Liberty noted that Ionescu, Jones, and Stewart offered Populous insights that are unique to women and helped optimize player performance and best accommodate their multi-faceted lifestyles.The practice facility will connect with an existing historic building. (Courtesy New York Liberty)I am grateful to be a part of an organization who recognizes the power of investment in their players, and ensures we have everything we need to be at top of our game at all times, Ionescu shared. It was amazing to sit down with Populous and walk through what is most important to us as athletes to be successful in all aspects of our lives. This facility is a massive next step for the New York Liberty.Black fins line the exterior of the new building. (Courtesy New York Liberty)The practice courts will be flood with natural light. (Courtesy New York Liberty)Renderings show a sleek structure attached to the backside of an existing brick building. An array of fins enclose two full-sized practice courts and regulate sunlight. The interiors are to be lined with earth tones, wood, and masonryevoking team colors black and green. A 2-story strength training room will have a balcony deck that overlooks the practice courts.The future, 75,000-square-foot practice facility tosses away the design of conventional locker rooms with shared spaces, instead delivering a revolutionary locker room concept, in which players will have their own private suite. This is a great take on reshaping what a locker room is, because it is not only about building team chemistry, but also giving players space for personal time, Jones said. It is important to let our personalities shine and have a place where you can really express yourself. This new facility is not only about functionality, it is about creating a space that truly reflects who we are as athletes and people.Two full practice courts will be equipped with remote cameras and data tracking technology. Meanwhile, an outdoor basketball court will facilitate clinics between the public and Liberty players, and also the Brooklyn Nets. Three floors will be set aside for the Libertys front office staff, which has grown in recent years. There will also be a media workroom for podcasting and broadcasts.A roof deck dining area will look out toward the New York City skyline. Other building amenities include meals from private chefs, as well as wellness facilities to promote health and relaxation. Steam, sauna, and message rooms will be sited in the full recovery suite. Players can unwind in facilities for hydrotherapy, hyperbaric chambers, infrared, and red-light therapy and book appointments forhair, nail, and makeup treatments.Unlike conventional locker rooms, players will have dedicated rooms. (Courtesy New York Liberty)Additionally, two private family lounges will host separate family and nursing areas. As a mom, Im especially grateful for the family roomsit means everything to know my family is cared for while I stay locked in on my craft, Stewart said. One of the main things that drew me to the New York Liberty organization is the level of investment in us as athletes, Jones added. We just won a championship, and in the same way they expect us to level up and step up our game, our ownership group and leadership continues to raise the bar, and this facility is a perfect example of that. This is what makes our organization great and why it will continue to be relevant as the years go on.Other women sports teams have also started investing in new, purpose-built stadiums and facilities; in California Olson Kundig is designing practice grounds for women soccer team Bay FC and Generator Studiorecently completed a new venue for the Kansas City Current.The $80 million practice facility will open in 2027.

The deadline forANs Best of Practice Award has been extended another week. Submissions will now be accepted until April 4, 2025 at midnight ET. Best of Practice is a program that honors the companies designing better, fairer practices in the AEC Industry. From contractors and developers to architects, landscape architects, engineers, and consultants, Best of Practice celebrates companies that not only create well-designed work, but are also themselves well-designed. Winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the year-end Best of 2025 print issue, online, and on ANs social media channels.This year, the jury includes Tizziana Baldenebro, the executive director the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation; Antoine Bryant, managing director of Gensler Detroit; Anne Marie Duvall Decker, principal of Duvall Decker; Diane Lipovsky, principal and cofounder of Superbloom; Enrica Oliva, adjunct associate professor of Pratt Institute School of Architecture; Steve Radom, founder and managing principal of Radom Capital; Jacob Reidel, assistant professor in practice at Harvard Graduate School of Design; and Jack Murphy,ANs own executive editor.The application is quick, requiring a firm narrative, images, and an optional client testimonial. Reduced price entry is provided for companies who are emerging (founded within the last five years). Learn more about eligibility and the submission process and enter Best of Practice via ANs award site.

The trophies for the 2025 W Awards are woven out of rush from Stngn and Lake stjuten in Sweden, as well as strips of plastic, using basket-weaving techniques. In Sweden, rush which grows in freshwater lakes, marshes and wetlands is usually harvested around Midsummer, when the roots loosen their grip. Rush crafts have become nearly extinct in Sweden, though a new education programme in thatching is emerging, so perhaps a turning point is near.Crafted using traditional weaving techniques and human-made and natural materials, each of Myckets trophies has a unique personalityCredit:Luke HayesThey each include a weight a chunk of the bedrock blasted out from underneath ArkDes to make way for new subway linesCredit:Luke HayesThe best way to harvest is to swim out and gather the reeds. Once you have collected a large bundle, you can float on it (rush can carry entire communities the Uru people of Lake Titicaca built islands of Totora reeds to evade aggressive neighbours and colonisers). After harvesting, the rush must be dried in a well-ventilated space, then soaked before crafting begins.The plastic strips in the trophies come from washed snack bags salvaged from the Catastrophe Carnival we organised last year everyone was invited to come dressed as their worst catastrophe as a way of processing the apocalypse. Each trophy also contains a small weight, a piece of the bedrock beneath ArkDes (the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design) in Stockholm. That bedrock is currently being blasted to make way for new metro lines, and we used fragments of the blasted stone in our project The Secret Garden (20242025).The trophies are made from rush as well as salvaged plastic and aluminium packaging from the collectives Catastrophe CarnivalCredit:Luke HayesWe see these trophies as mini-architectures. When we work with rush, we move through time-scales far beyond the human. Rush grows in cyclical loops, while the plastic and aluminium snack bags take hundreds of years to decompose. Working hands-on with rush and snack bags was not just about shaping trophies it is a way to understand time, relationships, and humanitys place in the world order. The inherent slowness of crafting both in the act of making and in the materials life cycle stands in opposition to accelerating capitalist efficiency. The form emerges in dialogue with the materials: we shape them, and they shape us. We call this process shape-shifting a design practice we are currently investigating to transform the architecture and design professions relationship to the Earth and our fellow beings.Mycket was the winner of the Prize for Research into Gender and Architecture at the 2024 W Awards. The collectives trophies will be presented to the 2025 winners at an event in Venice on 9 May.

Understanding of black box IT systems will reduce Post Office scandal-like risk

NewsT-Levels not attracting as many students as hoped A report from the National Audit Office has found that fewer students started T-Levels this year than previously predicted ByClare McDonald,Business Editor Published: 31 Mar 2025 16:00 Interest in T-level qualifications was overestimated by the Department for Education (DfE), according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).In its Investigation into introducing T-levels report, the NAO claimed the DfE overestimated the number of students who would choose the T-level route post GCSE. Some 25,508 students started a T-level in September 2024, which while a 59% year-on-year (YoY) increase represents only 42% of the DfEs estimate made in November of 2022.Originally, the DfE had aimed to have 100,000 students starting a T-level in September of this year, though it has revised its numbers due to slower-than-expected uptake, with its latest model showing around 50,000 to 60,000 students will be taking T-levels by September 2027.Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: T-levels were developed to provide crucial qualifications and industry experience to students, allowing them to go on to further education or begin roles in skilled jobs.They have the potential to offer new opportunities for young people and address critical skills gaps across the economy. Although the Department for Education has made progress in delivering the wide range of courses available, efforts must be made to increase student numbers and realise all the potential benefits of T-levels.T-levels have been in the making since 2016, when the Independent Panel on Technical Education recommended more of a focus on technical skills development in the UK.T-levels were pitched as qualifications which would provide these necessary skills for particular roles in line with what the UK needs for economic growth, particularly as the government has continually highlighted its ambitions of becoming a global tech superpower. But there are number of skills gaps across the UK, with concerns among employers there are not enough skilled workers to fill technical job roles so, are T-levels the answer?As of this year, there are 21 T-levels available to study, including in digital infrastructure and support services, digital production design and development, and engineering, with more expected in the future once some kinks have been worked out with the course content.One of the common complaints made by employers about graduates of tech courses is that they dont necessarily have the skills needed to fill the roles, with many stating that internal skills and talent development is a potential answer something T-levels may address through the amount of hours participating students spend on placements gaining real-world skills.So far, 98% of students who have taken part in a T-level have done an industry placement, though the Department for Education has been facing difficulties trying to raise awareness about T-level qualifications among students. Since the number of students who can take T-levels is dependent on industry placements, the DfE has concerns a lack of willing industry participants could have an impact on possible student uptake in the future.Attainment is also something to note, with the percentage of students attaining their T-levels dropping as more subjects have been introduced, with 89% of students so far achieving at least a pass last year, a YoY drop from 94% in 2023, and a drop from 97% in 2022.T-levels also typically cost more to run than other Level 3 qualifications the DfE provides T-level providers with between 5,500 and 7000 per T-level student, compared with a maximum contribution of 4,800. By the end of this month, an estimated 1.25bn has been spent by the Department of Education on T-levels since their inception.The NAO made a number of recommendations in its report to address the lack of student numbers, as well as delays in expanding the number of T-levels available. As industry placements are a vital part of offering T-levels, the NAO urged engagement between local education providers and employers to ensure the types of T-levels and the skills learned match the technical skills needs of that particular area.It also recommended the DfE develop a system to ensure the impact on T-levels is considered as part of any strategic changes to the development of technical education.But many in the industry are invested in the success of T-levels as a solution to the sectors skills gaps. Bev White, CEO of recruiter Nash Squared, has reported on Computer Weekly that T-levels could be the answer to filling industry roles where skills may currently be lacking.She said: My message to employers is to be curious about T-levels, lean in. They could be a fantastic source of fresh new talent for your business. Hundreds of employers have already hosted T Level students on industry placements, and that number is set to grow.Read more about digital educationSpeaking at the Bett Show this year, the UKs education secretary outlined the ways in which teachers will be using technologies such as AI in the future, including planning lessons and marking workResearch by EngineeringUK and The Royal Society has found that students with special educational needs have more interest in tech careers than other pupilsIn The Current Issue:Can a future digital NHS survive another change?Digital twins drive efficiency across machines and infrastructureDownload Current IssueWhat to expect from Atlassian Team 25 conference CW Developer NetworkSLM series - Nooks: Downsizing AI without shrinking its smarts CW Developer NetworkView All Blogs

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