Association of Colleges

08 December 2011

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning has called for a Royal Society of Apprentices to be established to help promote apprenticeships and enhance the professionalism and esteem of apprentices.

The call follows an inquiry into apprenticeships, which publishes its report today, to examine how the Government’s ambitious targets for a further 250,000 placements can be achieved and the barriers that currently exist which may hinder the progress of the £1 billion public investment.

The inquiry has also recommended that ‘apprenticeship champions’ should be identified across the business sector to participate in a national awareness campaign in schools to ensure pupils from the age of 14 fully understand the broader options open to them and are aware of the benefits such training can offer.

Conservative Co-Chair Robert Halfon MP said: "Ever since I was elected MP for Harlow, I have campaigned for a Royal Society of Apprentices. This report is the foundation of such a society. As a first step, I have also worked with the NUS to launch an Apprentice Card, giving apprentices the same discounts and benefits as university students. Apprenticeships are not just about economic efficiency; they are about social justice as well.

"If we give young people real opportunities for skills and training, we get them off the street, give them stability and a real chance of a job for the future. That is why I took on the first ever MP's apprentice and set up the Parliamentary Academy, a genuine apprentice school in the House of Commons. Today’s apprentice is as likely to be working in politics, training to decommission old nuclear plants, servicing Formula 1 cars, or learning how to install solar panels as training to be a plumber or a joiner."

The Group, which took evidence earlier in the year, felt that as the number of apprenticeships increases there is a risk that the term will become too generic. A Royal Society may help protect against the devaluation of the term in order to maintain high standards and help address concerns around the apprenticeship brand, including what to call higher level and post-25 apprenticeships.

All the witnesses called to give evidence to the Inquiry flagged up that a lack of understanding and awareness of apprenticeships among the general public and young people is a problem. A recent survey by the Association of Colleges (AoC) found that only 7% of school pupils can name apprenticeships as a post-GCSE qualification.

One witness, Simon Nathan, Senior Policy Advisor, Education and Skills, at CBI said: "From a young person’s point of view there is probably quite poor careers advice around apprenticeships and around vocational learning. There is perhaps an over-stereotype of a young person at 16: a person who has done well in his GCSEs gets nudged towards university; a person who has done poorly gets nudged towards vocational learning or an apprenticeship. I think we’ve got to break that cycle and young people have to see the apprenticeship route as the equivalent of HE in terms of getting a successful career."

The Inquiry recommends that inspirational former apprentices, like Gordon Ramsay or a Red Bull Formula 1 designer or mechanic, should be approached to act as ‘apprenticeship champions’ to visit schools and talk about how their experience as an apprentice has underpinned their success.

Liberal Democrat Co-Chair Stephen Lloyd MP said: "All of the witnesses we heard from felt more should be done to promote better awareness among young people and their parents, with a focus on improving the information about apprenticeships that 14-year-olds get at school; this information, advice and guidance was currently deemed to be inadequate.

"This issue must be addressed if this flagship Government programme is genuinely going to have a transformational impact. In addition, what better way than to use successful former apprentices as advocates of what an apprenticeship really means."

The Prime Minister has stated his personal commitment to apprenticeships and Government is spending £1 billion on the programme through the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) with a long-term goal to see one in five young people on an apprenticeship.

Kelvin Hopkins MP, Labour Co-Chair, said: "We owe it to our young people to ensure that apprenticeships are fit for purpose; that parents and pupils understand the enormous benefits they can bring and that the student experience of an apprenticeship is a positive one, incorporating high quality skills training and a genuine route to a fulfilling career."

The Group heard evidence from employers’ organisations, further education colleges, private training providers and NAS in three separate hearings. The hearings unearthed concerns shared by all three groups and these coalesce under four main headings:

1. There needs to be greater involvement from employers – Government must look at how it is engaging with employers and how they can be encouraged to take on apprentices in the context of the current economic climate.

2. Bureaucracy, particularly for smaller employers, is an issue – while the Group welcomes the recent announcement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about reducing the bureaucracy for employers taking on apprentices by simplifying and streamlining contracts and data returns, these measures need to be reviewed so see what impact they have. To further reduce the burden on employers, the Inquiry recommends greater use of brokering services.

3. As a flagship Government policy, apprenticeships need to be better promoted through marketing and better information, advice and guidance in schools.

4. Against a backdrop of recent concern about the poor quality of some apprenticeships and the short duration of some courses, the scheme needs to offer genuine training opportunities.

The Inquiry’s key recommendations include:

Government should review the impact of bureaucracy reduction measures on the employer take-up of apprentices The greater use of brokering services such as apprenticeship training associations and group training associations Providers should be trusted to deliver apprenticeships, but quality must be monitored

Further thoughts on the future of apprenticeships can be found in a collection of research essays commissioned by the Association of Colleges and conducted by think-tank IPPR entitled ‘Rethinking Apprenticeships’.

Ends

Note:
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning exists to promote and develop the interests of further education, adult learning and skills sectors and to advise Government Ministers on matters of concern to those sectors. The Association of Colleges provides secretarial support to the Group.

If you wish to interview any of the Group’s co-chairs about this Inquiry please contact:

Conservative Co-Chair, Robert Halfon MP (Harlow) – 07912 051948 or at halfon4harlow@roberthalfon.com or via his researcher Paul Abbott at paul.abbott@parliament.uk or on 07725 196583

Liberal Democrat Co-Chair, Stephen Lloyd MP (Eastbourne) – 020 7219 492

Labour Co-Chair, Kelvin Hopkins MP (Luton North) – 020 7219 6670

About Colleges

• Every year colleges educate and train over 3.3 million people
• 56,000 16 to 18-year-olds study an apprenticeship through their local college
• Apprenticeship success rates at college have increased to 73%
• 84% of all employers who train their staff through a college are satisfied with the service provided

If you wish to set up an interview with a member of our Policy team, please contact AoC’s Press Office on 0207 034 9900.

  APPG Report

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