Apprenticeships

APP 93

Written evidence submitted by The co-operative Group Apprenticeship Academy

· How successful has the National Apprenticeship Service been since it was created in April 2009? Has it helped bridge the gap between the two funding Departments? (BIS and Department for Education)

I feel that NAS have been very successful and a great aide to employers embarking on Apprenticeships. The support that they give freely is of the utmost importance in making employers aware of what Apprenticeships involve and support from the Ambassador network is always available. I feel that it has helped to bridge the gap between BIS and DOE. Since the dispersion of the National Employer Service NAS has become prevalent to fill the needs of employers. There needs to be greater clarity between the role of NAS and the Skills Funding Agency, especially on aspects such as quality and policy enforcement.

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

Yes it is necessary as funding has been drastically cut over the years, for employers I feel that the funding should be extended to post 25’s even if it is sector specific. Within the Co-operative we offer Apprenticeships in both Funeralcare and Pharmacy and these typically seem to attract more mature applicants. Large Employers are perceived as having the funds to contribute to part or all of the funding for an Apprenticeship and it needs to be acknowledged that this is not always the case. To provide an Apprenticeship that gives the learner a complete package of training and development, together with extensive off and on the job training, then t the ’contribution’ from employers of any size is already vast. This needs to be acknowledged in the level of funding offered to each apprenticeship, rather than a one size fits all funding mechanism and an assumption that Large Employers do not need financial assistance when paying for an Apprenticeship.

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

Yes they are of high enough quality if the framework is followed fully and delivered well, I do think that there should be more level 3 Apprenticeships that are not necessarily supervision, there seems to be a void in Advanced Craft.

· 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?

I think it is more about the employer wanting to support young people than being financially rewarded as long as there is sufficient funding for the learners framework. If a bonus system is to be used then it should offset some of the Apprentices salary which may encourage small and medium businesses to take them on, however with many frameworks looking at only a 12 month delivery I wonder what will happen at the end of the programme! Bonuses are only going to work if they provide permanent employment for a young person. Similar systems in the past have caused a turnover of staff to ensure the employer is still getting their ‘bonus’ or cheap labour. They are a great idea for small or medium size employers that otherwise would not be able to take on an apprentice, but need to be policed to ensure the system is not abused to create cheap labour at the expense of real training and development.

· Is the current funding arrangement for training of apprentices of 100% for 16-18 year olds and 50% for 19-24 year olds appropriate?

It would be better to fund at the same level at both ages, there is very little difference in the skills level between a leaner who is 18 tomorrow and an 18 to20 year old as they could well still be embarking on their first careers and therefore need that support and guidance so I struggle to see why they attract 50% less funding! I agree that as they mature the development needs become slightly less but certainly not 50%.

The funding is also reduced for any previous skills or qualifications that learner has. I think just sticking to this is sufficient. The funding is halved when the learner is 19 (and reduced even further if 25) and halved again if they are a large employer and then reduced for any previous skills or experience. This making assumptions on peoples needs based on their age, where as if the funding is just reduced according to skills and experience, then it better reflects the amount of development required to complete the apprenticeship.

9 February 2012