Business
When is an apprenticeship not an apprenticeship?
26th January 2012
Apprenticeship news, with Natalie Austin, of WBTC
Last month, I mentioned the support for employers who take on apprentices aged 16-18. Grants are now confirmed from April/May 2012 for employers who take on unemployed young people on an approved apprenticeship. However, recent parliamentary debates and media attention has questioned the definition and quality of some apprenticeship courses.Apprenticeships should last at least 12 months
In October 2011 the Financial Mail revealed that some apprenticeships were lasting a mere 6 weeks and that the funding was been inappropriately used by some colleges/providers. Furthermore the spotlight was turned on employers who were using government funding to subsidise their own in-house training.
“..concerns that the word apprentice is being abused has reached Whitehall. One insider admitted that some apprenticeship schemes are almost certainly a waste of money. ‘Some employers who had their own training schemes have just re-badged them as apprenticeships to take a subsidy’, one source inside BIS admitted”. Financial Mail, October 2011
Benchmarks for quality apprenticeships
Good quality providers of apprenticeships will follow the Specification for Apprentice Standards in England (SASE) which helps define the content of an apprenticeship.
This helps employers and young people understand what to expect and determine if the apprenticeship is good value for money. Examples of SASE include
1. The apprentice is employed for 30 hours or more a week
2. The apprentice is generally in a real permanent role
3. The apprentice can access substantial ‘off the job’ training as well as on-the-job training
4. The apprenticeship programme lasts at least 12 months
5. The apprenticeship programme adds value beyond that of the in-house training an employer provides
Avoiding poor quality apprenticeships
The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) regulate this area. As an employer, if you are offered a service that doesn’t fit with the benchmarks above then you should be wary. NAS can be contacted via www.apprenticeships.org.uk or you could contact your local quality training provider/college.
If you would like advice and guidance then please do not hesitate to contact me on (01635) 35975 or Natalie@wbtc-uk.com
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