Training & Skills

Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships

Like Train to Gain and NVQs, Apprenticeships are another strong, government-backed move, organised by the Learning and Skills Council, to tackle the skills shortages in many industries and to provide a viable, non-academic alternative into skilled employment for young people.

As an employer of an apprentice you receive a huge amount of support and much of the training is funded. The apprenticeship 'course' and training requirements are planned by the Sector Skills Council for your sector, which means that the businesses in your industry have joined forces with learning providers to determine which skills, knowledge and experience are needed for each role, and then planned practical ways to acquire these.

Employers of apprentices report many measurable benefits: enthusiastic staff members, increased productivity, increased competitiveness, improved profitability and fresh ideas.

What are Apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships, and their next level Advanced Apprenticeships, are open to any young person between the ages of 16 and 24 who lacks qualifications (ie has less than 5 A-C grade GCSEs) but can demonstrate a keenness to work and a willingness to acquire skills.

Apprentices can be new employees or existing members of staff, but the key point is that they are employees. From day one, the apprentice is employed directly by the business and has all the usual rights of any employee, with the exception of pay. Under the law, apprentices do not have to be paid minimum wage, although the Learning and Skills Council makes it a condition of their apprenticeship that they are paid at least £80 pw. It is possible that some employers may receive help with paying apprentices in the first weeks of their employment and certainly, much of the training is funded.

The training

The apprentice will work for you and receive on the job training from you. In addition they will undertake work-based learning, delivered by a training provider appointed by the LSC, will attend college on a day-release basis (that, as far as possible fits in with your business' schedule) and will also study in their own time. There is no set time-frame to an apprenticeship, although it must be completed by the apprentice's 25th birthday. Commonly it can take about 4 years to achieve, although this varies considerably depending on the student, the role and the sector they work in.

There are 180 different apprenticeships across 80 different sectors, but the flexible framework makes it possible for the apprentice to learn skills and complete modules that build into a very tailored program of development best suited to the person, the role they are in, the business and the eventual career development of the apprentice.

Who organises an apprenticeship?

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has overall responsibility for Apprenticeships. They have worked with the Sector Skills Councils for each sector of business to develop apprenticeship frameworks that really deliver skilled employees.

The LSC has appointed training providers to manage and deliver apprenticeships. Once the decision is made to employ an apprentice, the training provider helps the business to examine what kind of person they need, or to assess an existing member of staff who wishes to be an apprentice. The learning provider then works with the employer to draw up the detailed plan of the apprentice's learning package. This will involve a wide range of modules to give both broad understanding of your sector and specific knowledge and skills for their current and future roles. The learning package is made up of on-the-job training, work-based learning, independent study and attendance at college.

What does an apprentice learn?

Right from the beginning the apprentice is learning practical, useful skills backed up by sound theoretical knowledge. In the workplace you will be guiding the apprentice and teaching them the practical skills of their trade through on-the-job training. How you do this will be agreed between you and the learning provider. The learning provider will regularly visit to assess the apprentice, encourage them to broaden and deepen their skills and to point them towards study materials that help them do the job better. The provider will also be helping them to understand the industry, the business and their role in the overall competitiveness and productivity of the firm.

Over time, the learning provider will assess the apprentice's skills and help them build the portfolio of evidence that allows them to be awarded their qualifications.

The apprentice will also attend college on a day release programme, organised, where possible, to fit in with your business' schedule.

What formal qualifications will they eventually acquire?

As well as the skills, knowledge and practical experience gained during the programme, the apprentice will also acquire the following qualifications:

Adult Apprenticeships

Recently the apprenticeship framework has been extended to adults. The Adult Apprenticeship works exactly the same way, with the same outcomes, as the 16-24 Apprenticeships, but is available to people twenty-five and over.

Here in the North East limited Adult Apprenticeships - with priority being given to unemployed or disadvantaged adults - are available in the following sectors:

• Automotive
• Chemicals
• Childcare
• Construction
• Digital
• Engineering Construction
• Engineering
• Food and Drink
• Health and Social Care
• Land Based
• Polymers
• Rail Engineering
• Retail
• Transport

Finding out more

To find out more you can:

• Visit the LSC's apprentice website: http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
• Download the Apprenticeship Directory to find out which Apprenticeships are available in the North East and which training providers the LSC uses
• Download the LSC Employers Guide
• Download the Employers Best Practice Guide
• Talk to your Tourism Skills Broker