How Apprenticeships Work & Why They Work - Apprenticeship Training Material - Pathway Group
A powerpoint detailing about what exactly an apprenticeship is and why they have been working over the time that they have been introduced
20. Routeways in levels
Occupational Area Number available
Level
2
Level
3
Level
4
Level
5
Level
6
Level
7
Agriculture, environmental and animal
care
43 x x x x x x
Business and administration 45 x x x x x x
Care services 15 x x x x x x
Catering and hospitality 12 x x x
Construction and the built environment 102 x x x x x x
Creative and design 66 x x x x x x
Digital 34 x x x x x x
Education and early years 13 x x x x x x
Engineering and manufacturing 176 x x x x x x
Hair and beauty 9 x x x
Health and science 94 x x x x x x
Legal, finance and accounting 44 x x x x x x
Protective services 20 x x x x x
Sales, marketing and procurement 37 x x x x x
Transport and logistics 43 x x x x x
All apprenticeships are subject to a minimum duration on programme and apprentices must demonstrate to their tutor that their Knowledge, skills and behaviours have been achieved throughout the duration of the apprenticeship. We will cover this is more detail in one of our sessions later today along with how this fits with awarding bodies, Ofsted and EPAOs , but for now lets have a look at what this means in reality.
A good example that many can relate too would be learning to drive.
Knowledge would be learnt from studying text, watching others, being taught by the instructor on how to read the road but also how to use the car. This would even include things around how cars work and using a sat nav.
The skills would be achieved through regular application of the knowledge through formal driving lessons, but also session with a family member. This would develop their skill and also count toward their OTJT.
Behaviours – not many would openly admit that their behaviours needed to be developed, but like with learning to drive you would need to develop skills around communication, taking direction, Independence and being responsive.
Throughout the sessions the instructor would be delivering training and assessing your understanding of this, how you take and act on instruction, how you use a sat nav to guide you, your communication with them but also fellow road users and your ability to multi task.
The instructor would confirm when you are ready to consider taking for your formal test and your well on the right track of achieving your Sosland would probably start to go through mock tests with you in preparation. This would be the same in an apprenticeship as the tutor would take the apprenticeship through a series of mock tests.
As part of getting ready for your test you would need to study, revise and practice for your theory preparation. This like many apprenticeships they will have formal tests and qualifications in them. Upon achievement of your theory test you would progress onto booking your actual driving test.
Again the apprenticeship process is similar, but you would need to achieve points 1-5 and also have a 3 way meeting with your tutor and employer before entering gateway. During gateway you will complete the required elements to achieve your standard. Examples of these will be provided in the EPAO session later today.
The original apprenticeships were known as frameworks which included NVQs and Key skills. In 2017 standards to introduced to improve the quality of delivery assessment making training more aligned with employer needs. All standards are developed by a board of people who are industry experts and apprenticeship experts called ‘Trailblazers.
So what's the difference and why change ?
Frameworks gave learners a qualification at the end which was achieved by the tutors assessing on a range of competencies. Whilst this gave them apprentices an outcome it didn’t fulfil the needs of the employers and often may have only been assessed for the purpose of achieving the qualification.
As mentioned Standards are developed by Trailblazer groups made up of specialist in their chosen fields. Throughout the day we will continue to explore how there funded, regulated and delivered.
Trigger Menti:
Roles and Responsibilities of learning providers
We will go into the more technical elements of funding the compliance session, but an employer must be aware of a few fundamental aspects when accessing apprenticeship funding.
Employers can find a suitable apprenticeship provider using the .gov.uk website. This allows employer to filter by apprenticeship type, delivery methods and locations, along with the employer and apprenticeship ratings.
Large employers or LA type organisations may publish ITTs for provider to submit tenders to bid for work. Which is a longer more formal process, but a necessity for some organisations.
Once a provider has been chosen you will need to discuss your needs with them. You may wish to upskill current staff or look to recruit someone new, or even a school/college or university leaver. This recruitment service is normally free as part of the offer from the provider.
Providers can source apprentices and help with the selection process.
As an employer you must ensure
The apprentice is employed for the total duration of the apprenticeship including the EPA.
Has a contract of employment and is on PAYE.
Provided with a supervisor and or mentor who will support the apprentice on a day to day basis
Given the time to complete their apprenticeship
As an employer you must attend tripartite reviews every 12 weeks minimum
Allow for extra sessions or support sessions if required
Its so important that an apprentice is engaged right from day one ‘ This is also known as’ The first day of learning. This must be completed following the enrolment process and should be evidenced and reviewed by the tutor.
Commitment at the start shows willing to learn and progress throughout the programme, but is also a funding requirement so the providers will monitor this closely.
Whilst the tutor will agree the sequence of the curriculum, frequency of sessions and what's expected the tutor will set clear expectations that the apprentice must adhere too. The also helps to develop the apprentices behaviours and helps them to assess how much stretch and challenge a learner may need.
Learners must stick the scheduled training plan in order to stay on track and continue to develop they KSBs. The apprentice can ask the tutor for more work if they would like to learn or expand their knowledge further, or ask the tutor to realign and slow down if needed at certain points.
Apprentices will be required to attend a variety or learning sessions and reviews, and must to their upmost to attend these, complete tasks and keep their OTJT records updated at all times.
Learners will be learning new knowledge and developing their skills throughout the lifetime of the apprenticeship, and at times tutors may give feedback that may not always be positive, But it will be in the best interest of the apprentice to enable them to be the best that they can be.
The development of maths and English will continue throughout the apprenticeship journey, again this is to continue to support and develop apprentices standard of work and application.
You may be supplied with a range of tutors. This may depend on the provider, the standard being undertaken and if any additional support is required.
The role of the tutor is to delivery high quality training through various forms which will develop the KSBs of an apprentice.
The role of the tutor is to delivery high quality training through various forms which will develop and assess the competence against the KSBs. The tutor may use some of the following techniques
Again depending on the standard and providers delivery model the frequency and type of session may vary and might be remote, face to face or a combination of both. Sessions may include:
Workshops
Webinars
121 development sessions
Additional learning support session
Mock Assessments
Gateway Preparation meetings
Tripartite reviews
Maths / English Session
Extra intervention sessions –specifically to target areas that require further development of KSBs
Examinations or formal assessments
Tutors will use a variety of assessment methods. These may include:
Observation
Assessment of written work
Assignments or task briefs
Professional Discussion
Presentation work
Photos/Videos
Manager or peer discussion
Most tutors will use a variety of assessment methods as agreed by their IQA and awarding bodies.
The EIF requires provider to develop an apprentices softer skills and talks about life in modern Britain, and how to effectively contribute to society in a positive and respectful way. There is also a major focus on safeguarding of apprentices and so this should always feature in session and apprentices be aware of how to raise a safeguarding concern. This is why tutors will discuss and test apprentices topics like:
Safeguarding
Prevent
British Values
E&D
H&S
Q:Can anyone tell me who should be involved in the Tripartite review? And do you know the frequency?
This is a progress review to discuss the progress to date of the apprentice against the training plan. All 3 parties must be present and they should take place every 12 weeks. Some providers may agree with the employer to do them more frequently.
Check the progress against any actions agreed at the previous review and any training
Review and discuss the OTJT log and evidenced
Check progress against the apprentices Training plan. If the apprentice is behind this should be discussed and actions agree to support the apprentice to get back on track. This can include all elements of their Training Plan for example, OTJT, work towards a mandated qualification, maths and English and of course the ksbs.
If sessions have been missed then they may be a need to update the Training Plan with revised dates.
Discuss concerns with the employer and apprentice
Obtain feedback from the apprentice and employer – this may be an opportunity to discuss their performance in their role and where more of a focus would be needed.
Any changes to the curriculum sequence and any additional support needs the apprentice may have.
Agree and document, and book the next review.
This form should be signed by all 3 parties.
This process is a funding requirement. Failure for a provider to complete these would put the apprentice and provider at risk.
Providers will also cover off other elements of the apprenticeship which fit within the EIF. This may include safeguarding, H&S, E&D, BV and Prevent. This should also be documented but is not a funding requirement.
The world of apprenticeships like all government funded provision is full of statistics and comparisons to show impact, growth and decline.
Starts for 16- to 18-year-olds held up compared to other age groups, increasing by a few hundred from 77,150 to 77,510. Apprenticeships for those aged 19 to 24 fell by the biggest proportion of all age groups – declining by 7 per cent from 105,940 to 98,490.
Continuing the trend since the launch of the apprenticeship levy in 2017, it was level 2 starts that saw the biggest drop. Level 2 starts fell 17 per cent from 91,310 to 76,210. Higher apprenticeships at levels 4 and above grew by 7 per cent from 105,840 to 112,890.
Starts among levy-paying businesses also increased slightly, up by 2 per cent from 222,940 to 227,850.
Whereas starts for non-levy paying businesses dropped by 13 per cent from 124,980 to 108,660. It adds further evidence to the consistent message from providers and business leaders that SMEs find the apprenticeship system too difficult to navigate.. In order to help combat this the feedback to government is that we need a much more accessible and less bureaucratic apprenticeship service system, scrap the 5 per cent co-investment requirement for non-levy paying employers; and introduce more effective and targeted incentives for both employers and providers.
All apprenticeships are available on the Institute for Apprenticeships website, also referred to as the IFATE. So as previously mentioned you were looking for a provider you would look on the .gov.uk website. However if your looking to see what apprenticeships are available then the IFATE is the place to go
There are currently 751 standards that approved, in development of at proposal stage. This table represents the current numbers of standards and the funding bands. You'll note there is a broad range of funding within each level. This maybe due to the sector its associated with or the if it has qualifications inside it.
The number of KSBS will depend on the standard you are undertaking. ALL must be relevant to your job role and have to be evidenced. This may be one or several types of evidence depending on the level. As mentioned previously the assessment methods will depend on the tutors instructions.
The IfATE will consider these KSBS when assessing the extent to which technical qualifications are aligned to an occupational standard
KSBs will also form the basis of an apprenticeship’s on-and-off-the-job training.
Knowledge - the information, technical detail, and ‘know-how’ that someone needs to have and understand to successfully carry out the duties. Some knowledge will be occupation-specific, whereas some may be more generic.
Skills - the practical application of knowledge needed to successfully undertake the duties. They are learnt through on- and/or off-the-job training or experience.
Behaviours - mindsets, attitudes or approaches needed for competence. Whilst these can be innate or instinctive, they can also be learnt. Behaviours tend to be very transferable. They may be more similar across occupations than knowledge and skills. For example, team worker, adaptable and professional.
OTJT must be relevant and level. As can only be recoded if new skills are being learned and is still being applied. This audited by your tutor on a regular basis
As previously discussed the landscape of apprenticeships changed significantly since the introduction of standards in 2016/17, as well as the introduction of the levy. This has given learners and employers a good range of standards as well as a change in funding streams. During this session we will explore the market further and consider other factors such as compliance and regulatory bodies.
Would any of these surprise you ?
Can they come in one after the other
“Being listed in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is a real achievement for any employer – but for an >ambitious organisation who is justifiably proud of its apprenticeship programme and strives to ‘be the best’, we are delighted to have been ranked at number one.” Colonel M T Ketterer of The British Army
Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2022 is the national league table that recognises England’s leading apprenticeship employers for their overall commitment to employing apprentices, their creation of new apprenticeships, the diversity of their new apprentices, and the progression of their apprentices onto further apprenticeships and employment. The annual rankings have been developed by the Department for Education, in partnership with High Fliers Research.
The country’s most outstanding apprenticeship employers for 2022 have been recognised today (29 June) for their vital work boosting career opportunities for more people.
The public sector secured the prestigious top slots on the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2022 list, with the Army first, the Royal Navy second and Royal Airforce in fourth place, closely followed by the Department of Work and Pensions in fifth position.
Unfortunately we are unable to look at what apprenticeships were undertaken, but there's a good range of sectors again
Lander Automotive Ltd has also topped a new category this year – Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers 2022– which for the first time recognises the critical role these organisations play in creating opportunities, particularly for younger people and those in disadvantaged areas.
The leader boards are designed to showcase the very best of England’s apprenticeship employers, with those listed recognised for providing some of the most successful apprenticeship programmes over the previous 12 months.
The rankings attracted strong entries from across a wide range of industries including healthcare, banking, media and the automotive industry in the private, public and charitable sectors.
Employers including BT, Deloitte, Greene King and BAE Systems, Troup Bywaters + Anders, Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd alongside police forces, fire and ambulance services and several government departments have also been named for their efforts.
‘Our Apprenticeships Programme is at the heart of our desire to develop and educate the next generation of engineers, designers and leaders, within whole of the business.’Lander Tublar Products.
Top SME 15 providers in 2022
Employers with 10-249 employees and min 3 apprentices
9 Sectors
A Level 3 accounts assistant average salary when qualified would be around £26k per year. This would be a role such as a book keeper or finance assistant junior.
Level 4 would be an assistant financial accountant or senior book keeper
Level 6/7would be the most senior roles within an organisation and seek a salary probably inline with the level of financial responsibility.
Interesting when standards were being considered there were questions around the level 2.For example the routeways for Accounts under frameworks started at level 2 to level 4.When standards were introduced they came straight in at level 3.This proved to be challenging for many school leavers and so bridging units were often added to allow them to catch up and start to understand the level 3 units. This has since changed and Accountancy related qualifications are now fundable from level 2 to level 7
Many standards are currently under view for many reasons. This may include the need to remove qualifications or license to practice qualifications. Standard were also often created and limited pathways making it hard for some apprentices to get the breath of experience or OTJT making them ineligible – for example – IT have software and Hardware roles and engineering roles may have repair and maintenance or building from new.
Did you know that Apprenticeships provide an equivalent educational level as other well know and recognised qualifications. Has this surprised anyone ?
Lets explore that this looks like in reality.
The IFATE categories all standards within 15 occupational areas – as shown on this info graphic
This allows you explore routeways and see what your starting point maybe and what it could lead to.
This shows the current number of standards that are live or in development.
What are peoples thoughts on this ?Any that stand out or surprise you more than others ?
7
The CIPD’s published report found that four in ten (39%) employers have hard-to-fill vacancies. This is only slightly higher than in 2019 (36%), suggesting that most labour and skill shortages currently facing the UK pre-date the pandemic. However, certain sectors are facing acute challenges with hard-to-fill vacancies and require urgent intervention to address the shortfall in staff, notably in hospitality, arts and recreation (51%, up from 12% in 2020), health and social care (49%) and manufacturing (47%).
Currently the lowest paid jobs are generally within the 3 main areas of low funded apprenticeships and have the lowest number of standards on offer.
The CIPD’s research highlights several challenges that employers in low pay sectors face in attracting and retaining staff:
A supply ‘shock’ in key sectors: For example, the CIPD’s figures show that in 2018 and 2019, transport employers received a median number of 50 applicants for the last low-skilled vacancy they attempted to fill, but in 2021 this had fallen to just 15. Some employers pointed to the reduction in labour supply from the EU as a factor – most notably in hospitality and transport and storage, sectors which are particularly reliant on EU workers.
The unattractiveness of key industries: many low-pay sectors don’t attract enough UK applicants because of a mismatch between jobseeker expectations and the wages and working conditions offered. Reinforcing the case for more investment in skills and business support, some young, unemployed jobseekers say they would be prepared to tolerate low pay for a period provided that suitable training opportunities and promotion possibilities were provided.
While some employers have got better at sourcing labour in response to labour shortages, too many employers are not taking action to address skill and labour shortages: Many employers experiencing recruitment difficulties don’t have the resources or capability to respond, think labour shortages are likely to be a temporary short-term problem or are stuck in ‘wait and see’ mode. Recruitment difficulties for some firms are also linked to a narrow, ad-hoc approach to hiring which means they are not reaching out to under-represented groups in the labour market or are overly reliant on recruitment agencies and temporary workers. Where employers are acting to address hard-to-fill vacancies, the most popular planned response is to upskill existing staff (44%). Other responses include hiring more apprentices (26%), raising wages (23%), recruiting more UK graduates (20%) and improving job quality (14%).
Lack of investment in technology: Just 9% of firms plan to invest in technology as a way of addressing skill or labour shortages, demonstrating the need for short term interventions to get more people into key roles and longer-term, more support for employers to increase the adoption of new technology.
All apprentices must meet the minimum requirements, but fundamentally their job role must fit the occupational profile stated on the IFATEs details of the standard.
This will clearly state the Occupational profile.
KSBS that are required
The duration
The level
Any qualifications required including maths and English
Career progression opportunities – which can be linked to the their routeways discussed earlier
The Assessment practices
The breakdown of the requirements of EPA
EPA will be covered in the later session.
You may get extra funding to support apprentices who have additional needs. You can get £1,000 for taking on apprentices aged:
16 and 18-years-old
19- to 24-year-old who have either:
an education, health, and care plan
been in the care of their local authority
We provide funding for 100% of the cost of training and assessment for small employers (less than 50 staff) who take on apprentices aged:
16 and 18-years-old
19- to 24-year-old who have either:
an education, health, and care plan
been in the care of their local authority
A critical challenge for the UK economy is its stagnant productivity growth, which holds down wages and living standards. Apprenticeships can help on that front too. According to Centre for Economics and Business research on the economic impact of apprenticeships, there is a net gain to the employer while apprentices train, and a higher output once employed. While training, apprentices are estimated to have contributed to a positive net gain of on average £1,670 per apprentice in England in 2013/14. That amounts to a total annual benefit of £1.4bn across the estimated number of apprentices. In the longer term, it’s estimated that each apprenticeship created is worth an estimated £38,000 to the economy.
Apprenticeships need to be embedded in a workforce planning approach, with clear business benefits as part of a long-term strategy on workforce growth and skills development.A prerequisite for a successful apprenticeship programme is clarity about the role that apprentices play in the organisation, job design which ensures on- and off-the-job learning and development, and a shared understanding of how they will be supported and by whom.
Employers need to make sure they provide fair access to their apprenticeship schemes and widen the talent pool from which they recruit in terms of gender, ethnicity and diversity.
You may get extra funding to support apprentices who have additional needs. You can get £1,000 for taking on apprentices aged:
16 and 18-years-old
19- to 24-year-old who have either:
an education, health, and care plan
been in the care of their local authority
We provide funding for 100% of the cost of training and assessment for small employers (less than 50 staff) who take on apprentices aged:
16 and 18-years-old
19- to 24-year-old who have either:
an education, health, and care plan
been in the care of their local authority
Lets start by looking at the benefits to business with apprenticeships
The National Apprenticeship Service exists to help employers and individuals value apprenticeships. They produced a report in 2018 to promote the advantages of apprenticeships to employers. Whilst this data is a few years old the impact of apprenticeships within businesses remains the same.
By working with employers across many sectors and industries the apprenticeships work, and that employers benefit in many different ways from employing apprentices.
The introduction of the apprenticeship levy and the move to employer-led standards in 2016 have put businesses in the driving seat. More control of funding, the chance to collaborate on new standards as a Trailblazer, and the introduction of higher and degree apprenticeships mean that there has never been a better or more exciting time to consider apprenticeships. For the apprentice, apprenticeships offer the chance to gain valuable skills, higher earning potential and improved life chances. Higher and degree apprenticeships allow apprentices to gain university-level qualifications while working. There is no limit to how high and how far an apprentice can go.
A report published by the National apprenticeship service stated that employers can maximise apprenticeships by putting them at the heart of your workforce planning Apprenticeships work best when they are embedded into the fabric of recruitment and workforce strategies. Apprenticeship standards are available across a range of business areas and sectors. By choosing a combination of standards in areas across the organisation, you can tailor your apprenticeship offer to maximise the benefits that are most important for your business. For example, 17% of employers in a survey said they offer higher and degree apprenticeships as part of their staff retention strategies, as these apprentices are more likely to commit to working with that employer in the long term.
As we continue to review the Richard review for the need to change its includes 3 key factors that are becoming more an more prevalent and prominent in todays society
Absorbing the impact of social and demographic change – The paper points to changes in the nature of work, and working patterns and the need for greater flexibility and adaptability. The ageing of the population will also change the composition of demand for products and services and is likely to increase the need for re-skilling of older workers. Apprenticeship policy may therefore have to respond to growing need at both ends of the age distribution.
Response to growing inequality – By providing an alternative to higher education and a ‘second chance’ for those who have failed to achieve at school, apprenticeships can help act as a means of improving social mobility. In helping individuals develop relevant skills appropriate to their ability, they can also help address the problems of regional imbalance.
Response to global challenges – The move towards a greener, low-carbon economy, will also shape what employers need from the apprenticeship system, with a likely increase in demand for skills in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector, both in manufacturing and construction and in the environmental services such as energy monitoring and management.
The paper concludes that it is important that apprenticeships in the future are flexible and able to respond rapidly to changing demands. It will not be a case of ‘picking winners’, but understanding the skills which will be important to supporting economic growth and building resilience. The Government’s role in shaping the demand for skills is especially important if, as some believe, there is a danger of the UK being caught in a ‘low skills equilibrium’ relative to competitors such as Germany, France and the US. On this view, vocational training and apprenticeship policies can play a key role in moving production up the value added chain, closing the productivity gap and enhancing economic growth.