BUILDING SKILLS & EXPERTISE FOR THE FUTURE

Apprenticeships are at the heart of the government’s drive to provide people of all ages and backgrounds with the skills and expertise employers need for the future. Central to this are new reforms introduced in April 2017, which aimed to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships in the UK, and put employers in control of the funding.
 

Introducing occupation focused standards

For many years, people have criticised Apprenticeship Frameworks for not servicing the needs of different sectors. It was crucial that we moved to a place where apprenticeships better matched the inherent needs of specific roles and professions rather than a one size fits all approach. So rather than being qualification-led, the new Apprenticeship Standards are occupation-focused. Standards also last for a minimum of 12 months, and include an endpoint assessment.
 

Developing the right skills to bridge the skills gap

UK productivity has lagged behind other G7 nations for over a decade now, and skills shortages across many sectors have been a major factor in this. Apprenticeships have been transformed in a bid to address the need for highly sought-after workforce skills, and they go a long way towards helping to solve the skills problem.
 

Not only do apprenticeships fill gaps by bringing in fresh new talent, they now allow businesses to upskill existing employees with programmes spanning from level 2 –7, with level 7 equivalent to a master’s degree.
 

Employer benefits

The reforms have further strengthened the benefits apprenticeships can offer - from giving employers the means to invest in developing their own talent, to having high-quality apprenticeship programmes that are relevant and genuinely supply the skills and expertise they need.

Thousands of employers already benefit from flexible and high-quality apprenticeship training to help their business grow:
 

• 78% report improved productivity
• 74% report improved product or service quality
• 65% value the new ideas apprentices bring to their organisation
• 83% would recommend apprentices to other business
   

The future

Apprenticeships will continue to evolve, and as new skills in certain areas emerge, new apprenticeships will be introduced. We are already seeing a significant increase in demand of IT and digital programmes such as cyber security and software development to meet the rising digital needs of businesses.
 

Apprenticeships offer high value training that will help businesses thrive and grow by creating a pipeline of skills for the future. Employers need to look at apprenticeships as not just for young people, but an opportunity to train and develop both new and existing staff of all ages and expertise.