CBI NEWS FROM POLARIS MEDIA
Apprenticeships have always supported young people on the first steps of their careers and helped deliver the skills this country needs, says Damian Waters, director of CBI North West, left.
But over the years, they lost their appeal in the eyes of some, and it’s only in more recent times that attitudes have rightly swung back in favour of boosting apprenticeship take-up.
As the economic recovery builds, we will begin to see evidence of the right kind of growth across the country, as business investment and trade rises. And as things are looking a little better for the economy, greater investment in apprenticeships will become all the more crucial.
National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 3 to 7 March 2014, is the ideal opportunity to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships have on young talent, businesses and the wider economy. With apprenticeship structures in this country in the process of reform, it’s also a time to be clear where improvements are urgently needed.
A recent survey from the UK Commission for Employment & Skills showed the flip side of economic growth is an escalating skills gaps – skills shortage vacancies have doubled since 2009. Encouraging more firms to benefit from apprenticeships will be critical to tackling this skills crunch, in part because of the combination of training they deliver: technical skills and knowledge to do a job, coupled with transferable skills and behaviours that can apply to many other posts, in many other industries.
By allowing people to take their first steps on the career ladder and others to move up it, more apprenticeships can help move us towards growth that benefits everyone.
Barclays Operations and Technology is the strategic technology arm of Barclays Bank in the UK, developing products and supporting its global IT infrastructure.
Based in Knutsford, Cheshire, the company has employed nearly 200 apprentices on Advanced Apprenticeships in Business and Administration and IT, Web and Telecoms Professional.
Resource manager Lesley Clarke said: “Since launching our Apprenticeships, we have discovered additional benefits to the business. These include mentoring opportunities for existing staff, an energised and enthusiastic workforce as well as opportunities to forge links with our local communities, schools and colleges.
“By having tangible and accessible Apprenticeships open to applicants from all backgrounds, we have been able to tap into talent that we would not have previously considered for technical roles, as well as to develop our engineers of the future who we hope will stay with the bank long term.”
Chloe Gailes, Apprentice Champion of the Year 2013 and an apprentice at Barclays, said: “My apprenticeship has been invaluable to me both personally and professionally. I have been fortunate to work with lots of talented individuals and learn skills from them on a daily basis. I have developed formal skills in numerous technical specialities and had the full backing and support of Barclays in my study of a foundation degree in Business and IT Management.
“My apprenticeship has enabled me to forge a real career in a skilled industry with massive opportunity for progression.
“I am also able to share my experience and knowledge of apprenticeships through mentoring other apprentices. This is valuable and enjoyable for both my peers and I who continue to learn from one another.”
There is some great work going on out there – the 5% Club, made up of some of the UK’s biggest employers – is focused on industry playing an active part in addressing youth unemployment and the chronic skills shortage we face.
Its members are companies who have signed up to 5pc of their UK workforce being young people on structured training schemes over the next five years, which includes apprenticeships. In fact, according to the recent CBI/Accenture Employment Trends Survey, two-fifths of our members intend to boost their apprenticeship in-take for 2014.
But we still need to do a better job to convince more people and more companies of their worth. Many businesses already invest in delivering high-quality apprenticeships but many more could be, including smaller firms, if the system can find the right balance of simplicity and relevance.
That’s why reforming the apprenticeship system is so important – we have a chance to establish a truly demand-led scheme that makes businesses and individuals the customers of the system, rather than just leaving it to the Government to call the tune.
Any reformed system must first and foremost be simple to access – making it easier for firms to take on apprentices.
Sue Price, Deputy Director of Employer and Provider Services in the North West for Skills Funding Agency, said: “An Apprenticeship is a way for young people and adult learners to earn while they learn in a real job, gaining a real qualification and a real future. Apprenticeships deliver for a whole range of industries, from construction to manufacturing through to IT and the creative and digital sector.
“Apprenticeships increase business productivity while providing high quality training for young people and adult learners, making former apprentices more employable than those with other qualifications.
“They also deliver for young people, allowing them to earn while they learn in a real job, gaining a real qualification and a real future. That is why we are committed to making Apprenticeships the new norm for ambitious young people.”
A solution must also be found for smaller firms, allowing them get more involved. The Government must retain the current level of support for apprenticeship programmes – any reforms must be an opportunity to spend smarter, not reduce overall levels of funding.
The long-term pay-off to the Government in terms of future tax revenue is substantial. None of these changes can stand in isolation though. New apprenticeship structures and funding arrangements must sit within a wider skills system that has a new role for businesses that caters to their needs, whether that is local, sector based or down a supply chain.
I’m in no doubt that we have to seize the moment on apprenticeships, this week of all weeks. Reforms represent a seismic change for companies, and if we can get a system in place that meets the needs of both British business and young people, the potential prize is huge.
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