Apprenticeships

APP 62

Written evidence submitted by Lantra

Executive Summary

1. In order to improve the quality of Apprenticeships, Lantra on behalf of the industries is covers recommends that employers take ownership of Apprenticeships and suggest the following actions.

· Apprenticeships to have flexibility within the specification to reflect and meet the needs of industry

· NAS to review its funding model in order to reduce the risk to the quality of Apprentices from greater levels of sub contracting.

· BIS and DfE to agree the purpose of Apprenticeships and to agree that in the first instance they be focused on the needs of employers and the economy.

· Government to raise the ambition and vision of Apprenticeships.

· NAS to promote and enforce the Quality of ‘Apprenticeship Delivery Models’ with providers.

· Extra funding to go directly into the delivery of Apprenticeships.

· NAS to work with SSCs to develop sector specific strategies to encourage more employers to use Apprenticeships and offer apprenticeship places.

· Apprenticeships to be based on an occupational areas and to only be developed where there is a need in a particular sector.

· Government to use bonus payments to help employers develop their capacity to deliver apprenticeships and take ownership.

· Government to fund all 16 – 24 year old apprentices at a diminishing rate

2. Further details on the above recommendations are supplied below.

Brief Introduction

3. Lantra is the Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-Based Sector. We are an employer-led organisation licensed by Governments across the UK to determine, promote and ensure that there are appropriate levels of skills and business development support for businesses and individuals in our sector. The industries covered by Lantra include those responsible for food production, animal health and welfare, and land and environmental management, including low carbon and green technologies. Lantra, with the businesses it represents, analyses the skills needed by industry, develops innovative skills solutions and amongst other activities develops and issues Apprenticeship frameworks.

4. Lantra, welcomes this opportunity to provide written evidence to the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee inquiry into Apprenticeships. Lantra wishes to see Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) fully engaged in Apprenticeship policy and strategy development in order to progress the employer-led agenda.

5. Lantra has developed, with industry, twelve frameworks for England covering most of the industries in the sector. All of these are compliant with the Specification for Apprenticeship Frameworks and have been issued by our Issuing Authority.

6. In compiling this written evidence Lantra used its apprenticeship research with employers and providers and with its Sector Learning Partnership (a strategic group of specialist private and public providers covering further and higher education).

Response to questions and recommendations

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)

7. NAS has introduced a further stage to the development of apprenticeship frameworks; it has questioned the decision of the Issuing Authorities when they have issued frameworks and carry out a further review of the issued frameworks. NAS hold off supporting frameworks for funding if they do not meet their criteria, which they have not made public. This has lead to specific industry requirements, (additional employer requirements), which employers value being taken out, or the emphasis on their importance reduced. This has led to concerns from employers who value their inclusion in the framework and recognition on the certificate.

8. Lantra believes that Apprenticeships must be focused on and meet the needs of new employees, employers and the economy. They must be developed with flexibility and owned by employers.

9. NAS is a funding body working on behalf of BIS and DfE to distribute funds. Therefore, it would appear to bridge the gap between BIS and DfE on the funding of Apprenticeships. However, with the increased number of sub-contractors it is not clear how the sub-contractor will be monitored by NAS. It is essential that NAS is able to ensure that;

· the rules on funding are followed

· a framework is delivered as intended by the Issuing Authority.

10. In addition, the differing expectations of DfE and BIS in Apprenticeships is causing issues. Currently the purpose of an Apprenticeship framework and what an Apprenticeship is expected to achieve appears confused and ambiguous. As a result it appears that;

· DfE regard Apprenticeships as learning programmes that will be suitable to offer young people to raise the participation in education age to 18

· BIS regard Apprenticeships as a programme to help people develop the skills, knowledge and occupational competence needed for work.

11. Both of these ambitions are valid however these conflicting expectations confuse the purpose of Apprenticeships. Lantra suggests that there should be a restatement about the purpose of Apprenticeships clearly stating what they should and should not do. Lantra does believe Apprenticeships can meet both the ambitions of DfE and BIS in preparing individuals for employment by meeting employer needs as well as providing opportunities for progression into further and higher education.

12. We would advise that BIS and DfE make best use of public funds and rethink the content of the SASE to allow for the recognition of maths and English within the functional skills. Therefore reducing the need to repeat these skills as Functional Skills.

13. We believe that Apprenticeships can be used to effectively develop skilled and knowledgeable employees able to demonstrate occupational competence. Employees developed in this way are more likely to contribute to successful and sustainable businesses that impact positively on the economy. Therefore, we urge the Government to raise the ambition and vision of Apprenticeships by making sure

· they are aimed at individuals new to an occupational area

· they are used to develop new employees who become knowledgeable, skilled and occupationally competent

· they are used to help new employees understand the culture, traditions and history of the sector they are joining so they have the understanding to make the most of the sector in which they will be working

· programmes are not used with existing employees as a method of assessing what they already know

· they are focused on the needs of the workplace and the economy

14. Working with SSCs, NAS could do more to make sure that Apprenticeship frameworks are delivered and funded in the way they were intended. More could be done to promote and enforce the Apprenticeship delivery models with learning providers which would  clarify further what providers have to do to:

· meet the 30 hour minimum for employment

· meet the minimum guided learning hours

· to contextualise the delivery and assessment of functional skills

· ensure the employment of apprentices

· about the length of delivery and meeting the SASE

· support development of Apprenticeship Training Agencies especially for sectors with micro business and businesses where self employment is the norm.

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

15. Yes, this extra funding is necessary and should go directly into the delivery of Apprenticeships. The Government must avoid the temptation to fund programmes delivered by learning providers that are not Apprenticeships and do not meet the SASE.

16. The challenge is to ensure that Apprenticeships are flexible enough to meet employer needs and where necessary incorporate any specific employer requirements or relevant industry developed training which needs to be recognised within the SASE. This will in turn encourage employers to use Apprenticeships as a method of recruiting and developing new employees so there are sufficient places to meet demand.

17. If the extra funding is not used once it is distributed, this should not be regarded as a failure and should be diverted to other uses such as encouraging more employers to take on apprentices. Every effort must be made to protect and improve the integrity of the Apprenticeship brand and delivery model. More must be done to encourage employers to use Apprenticeships. This could be achieved through NAS and SSCs working together to develop sector specific strategies to encourage more employers to offer Apprenticeship places.

18. The Apprenticeship brand must not be undermined and when a learning and development programme is delivered it must be seen to be a partnership between the apprentice, employer and learning provider.

19. In areas of specialism’s with low numbers of apprentices, such as production horticulture, learning providers influence the delivery and programme of study because they do not have the resource to deliver these specialist aspects of the programme to small numbers of apprentices. Therefore, employers end up with their Apprentices taking programmes which may be more aligned to general horticulture rather than the specific area of say growing vines.

20. Lantra suggest that by directing funding towards delivery then providers can be more flexible with employers, meeting their specialist needs. Apprenticeships must be seen to be more than a learning or training programme they should deliver a rich learning experience to enable apprentices to develop the skills and knowledge they need in order to become occupationally competent.

21. Lantra recommends that the additional public funding is not used to deliver aspects of the programme such as Functional Skills, which can be demonstrated by previously attained GCSEs or other relevant qualifications already held by apprentices. This is becoming more apparent as we explore the use of Apprenticeships for older learners where they are required to retake Functional Skills to meet the requirements of the framework.

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

22. All Apprenticeship frameworks must be of high quality regardless of their level. Employers have a role to play in ensuring the apprentice benefits from the apprenticeship by employing and giving them the responsibility required of the level of job.

23. Apprenticeships must be based on an occupational area and only be developed where there is a need in a particular sector.

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?

24. Lantra understands Apprenticeship bonuses to be the same as incentive payments for employers, where the Government will provide up to 40,000 incentive payments to small employers to take on their first apprentice who must be between 16 to 24 years old. Small and micro business, which make up the majority of businesses in the land-based and environmental sector, must be encouraged to take on apprentices but bonuses is not the only incentive. Many of these businesses are not able to provide the breadth of experience needed by an apprentice and Lantra would like to see more support for micro businesses in setting up Apprenticeship Training Agencies.

25. We would recommend the funds be used to help small and micro businesses to develop their capacity and capability to support an apprentice, so they know how to and can;

· recruit the apprentice

· support and mentor the apprentice

· encourage the apprentice to put into practice what they learn when they are with the learning provider

· assess the occupational competence of the apprentice.

26. We believe that this would help employers take ownership of Apprenticeships. It is essential that employers take ownership of Apprenticeships and become far more involved in the delivery of Apprenticeship frameworks. We would like learning providers to work more closely with employers to help them develop their capability and capacity to deliver apprenticeships.

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

27. Lantra does not believe this current funding arrangement is appropriate. In industries such as forestry and fencing new employees need to develop skills, knowledge and experience needed to handle expensive machinery and equipment, and in some instances there are age restrictions for operating such machines due to health and safety legislation. Therefore, these industries often recruit from the 19 + age range and are disadvantaged by this split.

28. Lantra suggests that funding should be 100% for apprentices up to the age of 18 and then reduced on a diminishing scale until the age of 24 when they will be able to apply for a loan to undertake an apprenticeship.

3 February 2012