APPRENTICESHIPS: DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM/ISSUE/OR DO YOU THINK THE SECTOR IS OK? If SO why low completion, achievment rates and starts.
LINDSAY (Apprenticeships)
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One for the Bank Holiday Weekend. I have been thinking over the past few weeks what will the theme be for the next apprenticeship Confernece in August be ? I want to hold a conference that every one attending comes away with something which will benefit their organisations and also the Employers and Apprentices they work with. A time to hear from Organisations/people on how they are going forward.
I read these figures and it made me realise we have a problem/issue? which needs to be adddressed, or we will see the continued decline in apprenticeships starts and completion, more training providers stop delivering apprenticeships it has a knock on for all involved in apprenticeships.
Image FE Week do you think so?
Do you think there is a problem issue, will the decline continue, the pandemic of course is a contributing factor so many businesses closed etc. I would be really interested in your thoughts. What other factors are there, which need to be looked at. This is not an article to beat up all involved in the Apprenticeships sector but more on finding out how the sector looks to go forward.
The Apprenticeship Levy
Fewer than one in five companies support the apprenticeship levy as it currently exists, a CIPD poll has found, with the professional body calling for a reform of the scheme.
A poll of 2,000 employers, first reported in the?Financial Times, found that just 17 per cent said they supported the levy scheme in its current form. In comparison, over half (51 per cent) of employers polled said they supported a more flexible training levy.
The CIPD also highlighted figures from the Department for Education that showed the total number of apprenticeship starts had fallen since the introduction of the levy scheme, and that the scheme was failing in its aim of attracting more young people into choosing apprenticeships.
Official data showed that the total number of apprenticeship starts fell from 494,900 in 2016/17 to 321,400 in 2020/21.
Similarly, the number of new apprenticeships started by those under the age of 19 dropped from 122,750 to just 65,150 over the same period, while new starts for 19 to 24-year-olds fell from 142,200 to 94,600.
Lizzie Crowley, senior skills adviser at the CIPD, said that instead of opening up new training opportunities for young people, the levy scheme had fueled a “rising trend” of employers putting existing staff onto professional or managerial apprenticeships.
London Progression of Collaboration Taken from People Management article
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The number of new entry-level apprenticeship starts has fallen by almost three-quarters (72 per cent) since 2014/15, analysis has found, leading to warnings that younger people could be missing out on opportunities.
At the same time the analysis, conducted by the London Progression of Collaboration (LPC), also revealed that new higher level apprenticeship starts – often taken by older workers – increased by 400 per cent during the same period.
The analysis also found that people under the age of 19 now make up just 11 per cent of new apprenticeship starts: the number of new starters in this age group fell from 9,550 in 2016/2017 to 3,880 in 2020/2021 – a drop of 59 per cent.
How do we increase the number of people under the age of 19 start an apprenticeship?
My thoughts is that this is a direct result of the reforms introduced over the last decade. Change after change for Training Providers, EPAO's Employers, Apprentices, Sector Support organisations. .
The Apprenticeship Levy, which ministers introduced five years ago to push big businesses to recruit more apprentices. Instead of spending the money on school leavers looking for an alternative to university, too many large firms are now incentivised to top up the qualifications of their middle managers with a scheme intended for non-graduates.?
At the same time, even the most determined small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) now struggle to hire an apprentice, causing the number of those offering these opportunities to plummet. This is a blow for social mobility, as SMEs have historically hired more disadvantaged school leavers than large businesses.?
It was not supposed to work this way. It was supposed to increase the quality of training to put apprentices in better stead for future employment. but if I am honest I believe it has gone the other way.
Enjoy the Bank Holiday Week but please take time to leave your thoughts.
Retired - focusing on jigsaws!
2 年... continuing(!). In my view we have used an excellent learning model to re-train older employees, and I have no problem with that. But to use the word 'Apprenticeship' undermines the most special aspect of the programme - that of transformation - of changing a young person's life - of equipping a young person with the KSBs (I have no problem with KSBs!) to continue to learn, and to develop, throughout their career. I have seen so many employers and providers 'jumping through hoops' to avoid or minimize the 20% OTJT time. My apprenticeship was 100% OTJT in the first year, 50% in the second year and (about) 25% in the third year. My employer believed that 'Return on Investment' had to include, not avoid. 'Investment'. I believe that I - and all the cohorts around me, returned that investment many times over (and without government funding). That, I believe, is the model of apprenticeships to which we should return.
Retired - focusing on jigsaws!
2 年There are many things to love about apprenticeships. I was one - 52 years ago, and am convinced that the (3 year) experience was the most transformative of my life - changing me from a callow 16-year old school leaver to a competent technician, a master of my trade (telecoms), equipped with the confidence to continue to learn and grow throughout my working life. The final 22 years of my working life focussed on apprenticeships, as an employer, an employer-provider and a provider. I worked with Sector Skills Councils, I led Trailblazer groups and took part in many others. I worked closely with IfATE in the recent review of digital standards. I read the Richard Review from cover to cover. So I love apprenticeships, and I understand them. But I believe they miss the point. They have continued to be, in spite of the major reforms following Doug Richards' review, a 'box-ticking exercise'. The levy has forced the expansion of apprenticeships out of their natural 'early career' home. Of course the 'Apprenticeship' learning model works for later career change and upskilling - the learning model that creates a synergy between 'Training' and 'Education', and brings out the best of both methods - but that's not an apprenticeship.
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2 年Off the job training especially construction routes seems to be a recurring issue. Also the care sector
Head of Apprenticeships and Business Development A dynamic leader driven to succeed to high-quality outcomes. Specialisms: Apprenticeships, funded training, operations, compliance, quality, strategy
2 年There has been so much disruption in the workplace and peoples lives in the last couple of years , now huge amount of people changing roles and employers
Head of Industry marketing at UCAS
2 年Thanks for sharing this. Bud is just about to launch a large research project into these topics. It would be great if members or followers of this group could take part. If you are interested please email [email protected] Lindsay, we could also talk about this offline ??