Securing apprenticeship places
10. We welcome in principle the new NAS, which
will have the responsibility of securing sufficient apprenticeship
places to meet demand arising from the Government's guarantee.
11. Our report concluded that successive Governments
had failed to deliver on apprenticeship because of "poor
implementation, frequent reorganisations, and the absence of a
single Government body to take responsibility for apprenticeships".
We recommended the setting up of "a new and powerful unit,
reporting directly to a cabinet minister to 'own' and take responsibility
for apprenticeship. We were encouraged when the establishment
of just such a unit, in the form of the NAS, was announced by
the Government. But we were disappointed to find that responsibility
was to be split between two Departments—those for Children,
Schools and Families and for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
12. The Secretary of State told us that the two
departments "work very closely together" and "we
are working very hard at official level to make sure the structures
work closely together." (Q 12) We remain unconvinced
by the new structure. It would seem easier to build up apprenticeships
if responsibility came under a single Department rather than two.
However, the new set-up is in place and we urge the two Departments
to work closely together to boost apprenticeships as promised
by the Secretary of State.
13. We also fear that the NAS will have difficulty
in carrying out its responsibilities. The NAS will not be contacting
employers directly about providing apprenticeship places. Instead,
the initial point of contact will be through the Learning and
Skills Council's Train to Gain brokers in order to avoid duplication
of cold calling to employers about apprenticeships and other forms
of training. In our view, it is essential that the NAS is allowed
to contact employers directly to ensure a surge in apprenticeship
places. How can the NAS "lead on banging the drum for the
number of apprenticeships", as suggested by the Secretary
of State in his evidence (Q 20), when it is barred from contacting
employers directly?
14. The Learning and Skills Council currently
has only about 250 staff working on apprenticeships (Q 21).
Stephen Marston, director general of the Further Education and
Skills Group at the Department for Innovation, Universities and
Skills, who gave evidence with the Secretary of State, said that
the Government was examining how many more staff might be needed.
We are clear that a substantial increase is needed to be certain
of strong growth in apprenticeship places.
15. Local authorities will soon take over from
the Learning and Skills Council responsibility for 16-18 year
olds' learning and training and we understand that the precise
way in which the NAS will mesh with them is still being worked
out. Each local authority will plan the provision of training
and education of those over 16, and will notify the NAS of the
anticipated volume of demand from young people for apprenticeships.
Responsibility for finding these apprenticeship places will rest
with the NAS. Funding will then be granted to the NAS according
to the required number of apprenticeships.[5]
The Government has just finished consulting on the details of
these changes but has yet to issue its conclusions.
16. At this early stage we cannot judge whether
these new arrangements with local authorities will work.
5 For more on this, see World Class Apprenticeships:
Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All, p 29; and Raising
Expectations: enabling the system to deliver, Department for
Children, Schools and Families, 2008. Back
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