Level 2 Apprenticeship Decreases Related to Rise in Management Programmes?
Andrew MacPhee, CP APMP
Adding flavour to bids & strategies in training providers & local authorities
I welcome the government looking into this issue but I'm mystified by the premise - that the rise in management apprenticeships is somehow responsible for the decline in level 2 apprenticeships. Why might this be the case?
- It can't be candidate-driven - your typical level 2 candidate will not have been eligible for a management apprenticeship.
- It's not likely to be budget-driven - most businesses that run management apprenticeships have a significant amount of levy available to regardless of how many managers they enrol.
What could it be?
- Level 2 apprenticeship starts have been dropping since 2014/15 (7K in 15-16, 30.6K in 16-17, 99K in 17-18) - did the introduction of the levy and standards merely accelerate the trend?
- The government hasn't approved a business admin level 2 standard (Business, Admin and Law Level 2 starts almost halved to 37K from 16-17 to 17-18). Has the lack of an apprenticeship standard in what was the most popular level 2 programme impacted starts?
- The government has only slowly been approving level 2 standards in a number of other popular fields, and has recently dropped the price band on several of them. Has the instability in the market reduced providers offering these programmes?
- For apprenticeships that have moved over to standards, has the introduction of the 20% off-the-job training requirement in typically lower-paid apprenticeships reduced the perceived value of these programmes?
It's popular to pile onto management apprenticeships at the moment, with talk of MBAs being subsidised through levy funds, but our experience at Skills Team is that the vast majority of management learners are at levels 3 and 5, having never gone through any formal management training. Our management programmes add huge value to those learners.
There are a lot of things to consider here and politicians don't help by implying that management apprenticeships, one of the areas of real success in apprenticeships, is the cause of the decrease in level 2s. They need to really get stuck in and uncover what's going on so the sorts of learners who used to benefit from intermediate apprenticeships can do so once more.
It's time to dig deeper.
Project Manager
6 年Really, it's as simple as young people not wanting to take home less than ￡8k a year for a 40 hour week. It;s pittance, and it isnt sustainable as a kid. You're better off joining a management programme because the wages are much more attractive and you're set up to be fast-tracked into the company's management structure, instead of the apprentice slogger who more often than not gets the sack after 12 months of making tea and the odd project.? Source: I was that person.