Better Apprenticeships

Really interesting discussion this morning at the Sutton Trust #BetterApprenticeship summit to launch their campaign around more accessible apprenticeships, with a focus on better quality, better progression and better levels.

Better Quality – to ensure inspection processes enable judgements on quality with Ofsted focusing more explicitly on content, trainer quality, progression and expansion of skills.

Better Progression – to ensure automatic progression from level 2 to level 3 apprenticeships so that young people don’t drop out before getting a good quality apprenticeship (just on in four apprentices progress from level 2 to level 3 – equivalent of GCSE to A-level)

Better Levels – to increase the number of higher and degree level apprenticeships with more focus on young people so they have a real choice at 18 or 19.

Things that came out of the discussion were that

• Apprenticeships at level 5 and above result in greater lifetime earnings than undergrad degrees from non-Russell group universities.
• Disadvantaged men are half as likely to take up an advanced apprenticeship than their better off peers.
• The overall earnings difference for those with apprenticeships is almost four times larger for men than for women.
• 40% of young apprentices are on a level 3 apprenticeships route in England compared to 90% in Germany.

Things that are needed seem to be:

What is the optimum level of apprenticeships we need in each sector? 90% of our apprenticeships are at level 2 or 3 and we heard that we need more apprenticeships to fill the gap between this level and the degree level (6/7). But what are we aiming for? For example, we have 86,550 apprentices in the health and social care sector – is this above or below the level required? 51% of students now get degrees – all seem to agree this is too high, but what should it be? In Hertfordshire 4% of students go on to apprenticeships I believe – low by all standards, so what should it be?

We heard that we have just approved the 300th apprenticeship standard, with another 400 on the way (slowly). Opinion was that this is far too many – compared to T level pathways where there are only 15.

CBI and EEF have made requests and recommendations on behalf of their members for spending the levy, and they would like to see more flexibility in terms of pooling the resources for supply chain members to use, and given longer before they lose it. Recent concession has been that the 10% of the levy that is able to be transferred to other businesses, can be used by multiple businesses, but 50% would seem more helpful. Quality, usability and flexibility were the requests from CBI.

One thing that didn’t come up was the role that parents play in this equation, and I know this all too well from my Year of Engineering Careers Roadshow ‘Meet the Parents’ where to talk to parents a lot who are not at all informed or convinced by apprenticeships. Need to do much more engagement here.

Great statistics from LSE and UCL were presented, and these reports along with details from the day can be found here. https://www.suttontrust.com/event/better-apprenticeships-summit-2018/

Very informative event, and excellent speakers, including three young apprentices.

Join the conversation at #BetterApprenticeships