Apprenticeships

APP 110

Written evidence submitted by Institute for Learning

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The Institute for Learning (IfL) is the professional body for teaching and training professionals in the further education and skills sector.

1.2 IfL welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important inquiry into apprenticeships. We are keen to ensure that the voices of teaching professionals in the sector are heard in this process owing to the crucial contribution that they make day by day. This contribution is a significantly understated one. This is coupled with our commitment to promoting and developing world class teaching and training.

1.3 It is a crucial time for the National Apprenticeship Service in particular as the results promotional campaigns and services it offers begin to come to fruition. We will explore this further in our full response below.

1.4 We will also be suggesting strongly that the Committee leads and ignites a new debate. For far too long, we have been making judgements about apprenticeships using terminology of ‘quality’ and ‘standards’ , mainly in the context of numbers and qualifications; strikingly devoid of the language of teaching , training and learning experience .

1.5 IfL believes t here is too little debate about pedagogy in a workplace setting, we want to hear more from apprentices themselves and tutors, trainers and assessors about the conditions needed to enabl e them to explore and develop their practice and be truly excellent for apprentices.

1.6 As success rates continue to rise we must understand why and how the very best training works, and the professional development needed for trainers and teachers.

1.7 Those teaching , training and assessing have always been at the front line of an apprenticeship policy agenda focussed on infrastructure. On issues such as functional skills and qualifications policy, we believe the professional views and judgement s of teaching and training practitioners have largely gone unheard . We would like the Committee to recognise the significant contribution that can be made by the voice of practitioners – the professional teachers, trainers and assessors.

1.8 We explore what role the National Apprenticeship Service, and others in the sector, should play in this response.

1.9 IfL welcomes the opportunity to give written evidence to the BIS Committee and would very much welcome an opportunity to give oral evidence to expand on the evidence below drawing the experience of over 14,000 teachers, trainers and assessors in the work based learning sector alone who are IfL members.

2.0 How successful has the National Apprenticeship Service been since it was created in 2009? Has it helped bridge the gap between the two funding Departments?

2.1 A key role and function of the National Apprenticeship Service is to support the delivery of apprenticeships. There are strong arguments to suggest that the National Apprenticeship Service has been successful in this respect, supported by strengthened government policy and increases in the funding available for apprenticeships. This has resulted in an increase in the number of engaged employers and, as a result, an increase in the number of apprenticeship starts.

2.2 According to information from the National Apprenticeship Service, 130,000 work places had apprentices in 2008. In 2010, this figure had risen to 160,000. Given the social and economic context, an extra 30,000 workplaces in an achievement despite the country still rating comparatively poorly when employer engagement in compared internationally.

2.3 Within each of these workplaces, some employees become trainers as well as trainees and new relationships are formed between businesses and further education college and training providers. In this market-led system, it is important that the quality of teaching and training is paramount for apprentices and their success, not only as a marketing tool to attract new apprentices. Learners will rightly expect the employers to deliver a programme with high quality teaching and training, supportive and co-operative assessment and accessible routes to raise issues and seek support.

2.4 In acting as a ‘broker’ service between employers and the further education sector, there is a key role here for the National Apprenticeship Service to protect the learner experience by making teaching, training and learning issues more prevalent in its work.

2.5 One way in which we believe the National Apprenticeship Service could have an impact in increasing apprenticeship and training opportunities is by working with IfL and the broader further education sector on a campaign to encourage employees to train as trainers. We believe that becoming a trainer or teacher in one’s own workplace should be an attractive and accessible career progression route for all employees at a point in their career they are suitably skilled and confident.

2.6 Increasingly, organisations are including a commitment to training and development, and apprenticeship schemes, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. This is one area of practice that we believe could bear significant results should the National Apprenticeship Service promote it further.

2.7 The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced in New Challenges, New Chances: Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan, published in December 2011 that an independent commission in to adult education and vocational pedagogy is to be established. IfL is pleased to be taking a lead role in preparatory work on vocational pedagogy and hopes to be able to encourage involvement from the National Apprenticeship Service as part of making world class teaching and training a more high profile objective.

2.8 The Department have stated that a clear objective of this independent review will be to, "set out the standard expected of a good learning opportunity for an adult and an apprentice, and define a range of effective pedagogical approached." We believe the National Apprenticeship Service has a powerful role to play.

3.0 Is the extra funding promised by the Coalition Government necessary for apprenticeships? How can this funding best be spent?

3.1 The Government have recently announced £250million of public investment for the Employer Ownership Fund and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), in partnership with BIS and the Department for Education, have published a prospectus inviting proposals from employers for the first phase of the pilot amounting to £50million for projects commencing in August 2012.

3.2 We particularly welcome the emphasis in the prospectus of increasing the numbers of people participating in training and on improving the quality and relevance of training. From our perspective, this can be best delivered through employers delivering training programmes by highly qualified and professionally registered teachers, trainers and assessors.

3.3 Further guidance issued to employers should include a recommendation that teaching and training practitioners hold a current training qualification, hold current membership of the Institute for Learning (IfL) and have reached, or are working towards, achieving the teaching and training industry licence to practise ATLS (Associate Teacher in Learning and Skills) or QTLS (Qualified Teacher in Learning and Skills).

3.4 The very highest standards of training in the workplace are crucial to the success of apprenticeships.

3.5 Through the Employer Ownership Fund, employers will be expected to show accountability for the use of public funds and this recommendation is one way that employers should be encouraged to demonstrate this.

4.0 Are apprenticeships of a high enough quality to benefit apprentices and their employers? Should there be more level 3 apprenticeships?

4.1 The Institute for Learning, as the professional body for teaching and training practitioners, provides support and professional development opportunities which enable our members to excel in their roles and provide the best teaching, training and learning experience. Businesses should be encouraged to recognise this as a significant contractual influence in order to demonstrate a commitment to delivering high quality training and learning.

4.2 In the paper The Importance of Teaching – The Schools White Paper published by the Department for Education in November 2010, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister said, "The first, and most important, lesson is that no education system can be better than the quality of its teachers." We must assert this principle in to all forms of education and training including within the apprenticeships system.

5.0 Apprenticeship bonuses – how should they function? Will they encourage the involvement of more small and medium sized businesses to take on apprentices? If not, what will?

5.1 We believe that apprenticeship bonus schemes can encourage the involvement of more small and medium sized businesses. In order to secure a consistent high quality teaching and training workforce, the government must recognise where financial constraints, such as enrolling staff on train the trainer programmes for example, can be overcome and provide the right support to allow SMEs to overcome this barrier. This will be a positive and proactive step by the government directly investing in quality through professional trainer development.

10 February 2012