Employers given more input on apprenticeship design
Businesses should think ‘outside the box’, urges CIPD
Employers will be able to develop their own apprenticeship
standards and qualifications to help address skills shortages in their
industries, the government has announced today.
The move will place apprenticeships “firmly in the hand of employers” so that courses are tailored more to business needs, said the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS).
The government made the announcement in its official response to last year’s Richard Review, which called for the quality of apprenticeships to be improved.
The new plans include targeting every apprenticeship at a skilled job, which will “involve substantial new learning that will provide the foundations for a career and a springboard for progression”.
Industry standards will be central to every apprenticeship, said BIS, and schemes will have defined outcomes and a “final holistic test”.
From August 2014, all apprentices will also work towards a Level 2 qualification in English and maths – either through GCSEs or ‘functional skills’ – if they have not already achieved those standards.
Meanwhile, training and accreditation of existing workers who are already fully competent in their jobs will be delivered separately.
Announcing the reforms during National Apprenticeship Week, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “Most employers say that apprentices improve productivity. So it’s vital that apprenticeships are tailored around what employers want, allowing them to design their own qualifications and choose their own training provider, rather than getting a one-size-fits-all programme that’s bad for apprentices and bad for employers.”
The CIPD welcomed the move towards greater employer involvement in the apprenticeship system, and urged employers to think beyond blue collar jobs when designing their own apprenticeships.
“Employers have an opportunity to take advantage of these proposals and think ‘outside the box’ about where apprentices might fit within their business,” said Katerina Rüdiger, skills adviser at the CIPD.
“Traditionally apprenticeships have been common in professions such as engineering and construction but Higher Apprenticeships now provide routes into areas such as marketing, business administration and HR, which would normally require a university degree or academic qualification,” she continued.
“Employers should seek to engage with apprenticeships across a wide-range of business functions; this will not only increase the number of high-quality opportunities for young people, but will also help employers to grow their own workforce and recruit from a more diverse talent pool.”
Rüdiger added that increasing the number of apprenticeship types would also help improve their perception among parents, teachers and others who influenced young people’s education and career choices.
AARTI
2nd SEM
The move will place apprenticeships “firmly in the hand of employers” so that courses are tailored more to business needs, said the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS).
The government made the announcement in its official response to last year’s Richard Review, which called for the quality of apprenticeships to be improved.
The new plans include targeting every apprenticeship at a skilled job, which will “involve substantial new learning that will provide the foundations for a career and a springboard for progression”.
Industry standards will be central to every apprenticeship, said BIS, and schemes will have defined outcomes and a “final holistic test”.
From August 2014, all apprentices will also work towards a Level 2 qualification in English and maths – either through GCSEs or ‘functional skills’ – if they have not already achieved those standards.
Meanwhile, training and accreditation of existing workers who are already fully competent in their jobs will be delivered separately.
Announcing the reforms during National Apprenticeship Week, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “Most employers say that apprentices improve productivity. So it’s vital that apprenticeships are tailored around what employers want, allowing them to design their own qualifications and choose their own training provider, rather than getting a one-size-fits-all programme that’s bad for apprentices and bad for employers.”
The CIPD welcomed the move towards greater employer involvement in the apprenticeship system, and urged employers to think beyond blue collar jobs when designing their own apprenticeships.
“Employers have an opportunity to take advantage of these proposals and think ‘outside the box’ about where apprentices might fit within their business,” said Katerina Rüdiger, skills adviser at the CIPD.
“Traditionally apprenticeships have been common in professions such as engineering and construction but Higher Apprenticeships now provide routes into areas such as marketing, business administration and HR, which would normally require a university degree or academic qualification,” she continued.
“Employers should seek to engage with apprenticeships across a wide-range of business functions; this will not only increase the number of high-quality opportunities for young people, but will also help employers to grow their own workforce and recruit from a more diverse talent pool.”
Rüdiger added that increasing the number of apprenticeship types would also help improve their perception among parents, teachers and others who influenced young people’s education and career choices.
AARTI
2nd SEM
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