The case for apprenticeship reform

Haman Manak at Stanmore urges the UK government  to centralise the apprenticeships system with a UCAS-style ’VCAS’ or they will damage their Skills England initiative

 

Apprenticeships provide a gateway into lifelong careers for hundreds of thousands of young Britons every year. They also play a vital role in plugging the UK’s skills gap by providing the resource and talent we need to tackle critical growth challenges.

 

So why is the pathway to entering vocational training so complex?

 

Currently, people are often left to their own devices to get a foot in the door if they want to pursue vocational training. They have to cold call employers or rely on their networks of friends and family to root out opportunities. And while organisations such as Apprenticeships UK are helping facilitate the process, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

 

This is a big problem because one in four people starting apprenticeships are under nineteen and often fresh out of school. Navigating the transition from school life to working life is daunting enough, and the current system is turning talent away in droves from pursuing apprenticeships.

 

Compare that to school leavers pursuing a degree. They have a much clearer pathway in the form of UCAS, which provides a standardised, centralised platform for aspiring students to apply for their preferred courses and universities around the country.

 

The fact we don’t have a counterpart for apprenticeships is hurting employers, who don’t have visibility of or access to the thousands of people interested in vocational training. It’s hurting the generation of people leaving secondary school and entering employment for the first time, who only get a partial view of their true career options. And it’s hurting the wider UK economy as businesses continue to grapple with critical skill shortages.

 

To put it simply, the current system to secure an apprenticeship is far too fragmented and needs a complete overhaul.

 

And while there’s always more the industry could do, the Government is in the best position to take the lead.

 

The establishment of Skills England is a step in the right direction, but employers have become increasingly disillusioned with Government-led skills initiatives. In fact, one study found that two in five large UK employers lack confidence that Skills England will have any impact whatsoever (source).

 

We need tangible action, and I believe we must introduce a university-style ’VCAS’ system that allows employers to openly register their training programmes and curricula on a centralised system.

 

A streamlined platform could also be used to manage the courses once a young person has been hired. By introducing requirements for employers to log the extra-curricular support they are offering, as well as the details of the lead educator, and asking apprentices to log their attendance and progress through VCAS, we could boost the success rates of these courses. 

 

Many employers do a great job of supporting apprentices throughout the training programme, but there are still too many who are left to their own devices and don’t complete their courses as a result. 

 

VCAS would simplify and streamline the application process for prospective apprentices and stay with them as they progress and learn, unlocking genuine growth across the sectors that need this vocational, role-specific training.

 

First and foremost, it would provide employers with a far steadier and more reliable pipeline of talent looking for vocational opportunities. Many smaller employers don’t have the capital, capacity, or systems in place to attract apprentices, and plugging into a VCAS system could unlock an entirely new stream of talent for them to employ and train.

 

It would also enable employers to maximise their use of the apprenticeship levy, which still doesn’t benefit many companies. In my view, the levy should be used for Government-funded training courses and Government-led loans. Similar to Student Finance, the loans could be split between the apprentice and the employer and could help cover costs like tools, uniforms, and travel. But the financial burden needn’t rest solely on the apprentice – businesses could draw from the levy to pay back 80% of these loans, and the student could make up the other 20%.

 

Secondly, a VCAS system would provide a much clearer, simpler pathway into employment for school leavers.

 

That’s important because there is a strong appetite for apprenticeships. Long considered a less desirable option than tertiary education, the tables are turning, and more school leavers are eager to pursue vocational training. A recent study even found that around half of undergrad students actually considered apprenticeships while completing their GCSEs (source).

 

But many school leavers are ultimately turned off the idea of an apprenticeship because they simply don’t know where to start. Why try to tackle a fragmented and complex vocational landscape when you can jump onto UCAS and enter your preferred universities with ease?

 

Apprenticeships have traditionally faced a reputation problem against the more popular ’prestige’ university route, and we need to do everything we can to extinguish any misguided association that apprenticeships are a step down from university.

 

And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, we need more tangible solutions to address the UK’s skills gap. We’ve all heard the dreary forecasts and stats, with some reports suggesting more than half of UK businesses are facing skills shortages (source), and it’s time to prioritise action over policy.

 

Initiatives such as Skills England will fall flat without the implementation of programmes designed to attract young talent into jobs and professions that will unlock growth for the country.

 

Because when we talk about the UK skills shortage, I think it’s important to put vocational training firmly in the spotlight. 

 

After all, it’s the builders, the plumbers, and the electricians that will build the houses, the roads, and the infrastructure we need to truly support and drive economic growth. And it’s also the hospitality workers, the hairdressers, and the truck drivers that are so vital to stimulating activity and keeping the economy afloat.

 

We must provide a clearer pathway into vocational training if we are to close the skills gap in these critical industries; replacing the current nebulous apprenticeship landscape is the only place to start. 

 

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Haman Manak is Procurement Director at Stanmore. He is an advocate for the use of emerging technologies like AI in the construction and development sectors, and believes it has the potential to enhance work quality, improve health and safety, and increase productivity

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and Highwaystarz-Photography