UK apprenticeships – a view from the outside

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2016, our Managing Partner, Cathryn Henry shares her findings following her recent involvement with two Finnish apprenticeship providers, Keuda and Omnia. 

I have worked in the field of apprenticeships for over 15 years both strategically & operationally, and as a funder, enabler and provider. But only recently have I been able to truly see UK apprenticeships for what they are and what they can be – by looking from the outside in.

Invited by the Finnish apprenticeship training provider, Keuda, last year to be the key note speaker at their international seminar on work-based learning, I was asked to share the reasons why the UK apprenticeship system is becoming more and more revered across the world and why many countries are trying to understand and emulate it.

I titled the presentation, “UK Apprenticeships, what works?” and detailed the journey that the UK has been on, from the fundamentals of an apprenticeship to the inception and influence of the National Apprenticeship Service, finishing with examples of a best practice approach by all parties involved.

While preparing my speech I confirmed my belief that quite a lot of the system is confusing and hard to explain and actually some of the growth evidence only shows ‘numbers’ growth (displacement of 25+ Train2Gain learners). This belief was compounded when the Finnish Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Lidl – who was also a speaker – implied that Lidl embrace apprenticeships more in Finland than in the UK because they find the UK system unwieldy.

Following the seminar I was approached by another Finnish apprenticeship provider, Omnia. They wanted OneDegree Development to host their visit to the UK to see for themselves the real examples of my presentation. 

We based ourselves in Hertfordshire and visited a variety of organisations and employers ranging from Hertfordshire County Council, who use apprenticeships as a route to Social Care careers for their most disadvantaged residents, to Pizza Hut who receive direct funding from government to purchase their own apprenticeships training, and onto Watford Borough Council and construction company Interserve who take a more traditional approach to growing young talent. We were also lucky enough to be hosted by Hertfordshire LEP who gave us a detailed and evidence-based analysis of the situation and the work the UK is yet to do to achieve true parity across the academic and vocational divide.

So what did I learn by hosting this trip and looking at UK Apprenticeships from the outside in…..much more than I thought I would!

• the fundamentals – of applying theory through practical training – of an apprenticeship are the same across the world
• convincing employers, young people and parents of the benefits of vocational learning is a challenge everywhere!
• A system that is too simple can be too restrictive for growth but a system that is too flexible can be confusing and unwieldy
• A system that can adapt to its time is crucial but a culture of constant change is detrimental
• Taking the time to embed understanding of the system and policy into employers is worth the investment
• Taking the time to support the employer with inexperienced employees is not to be underestimated
• the UK system isn’t strong enough to blind-copy but it is full of brilliant examples of how to do it well

..and what is my advice to the UK government based on what I have experienced:

• reform is ineffective if you don’t give it time to settle
• growth targets destabilise a system in the short term
• Adapting a system should be tried before whole system change is adopted

We have so many examples in the UK of apprenticeships that are high quality and worthwhile; employers that are knowledgeable and keen, and enablers that are supportive and understanding. We should take the time to figure out why they are as good as they are, what their drivers are, what is unique about those involved and how they best realise their ambitions. Only then will we be able to replicate the best parts of the system and grow an apprenticeship programme that is truly world class:

The system must be employer driven but with the learner at the centre of the process. The experts must facilitate, enable and support, but not interfere. The apprentice must feel like an employee first and a learner second”

If we get these fundamentals right, I doubt we would need as much change as we think we do….

Cathryn Henry is the Managing Partner of OneDegree Development, a human-centred coaching & mentoring, training and consultancy business specialising in Innovation, Change and Efficiency. She spent 11+ years as a Civil Servant in the field of Education and Skills and in particular apprenticeships and youth unemployment. She is currently the 14-19 Participation Adviser at Reading Borough Council and has reduced their NEET statistic from 8.1% to 4.7% in less than a year. Cathryn would love to hear from you so please feel free to contact her on [email protected]