November 28 2006 - A new report from the CIPD finds that despite Government
efforts, take-up of apprenticeships by large employers remains limited.
The report entitled Large employers and apprenticeship training summarises research by the Department of Management at King's College London. Investigating the level of employer involvement and attitudes towards publicly funded Advanced Apprenticeship programmes, it suggests that the extent to which the content of such programmes can be tailored to the employer's requirements is not widely recognized.
Research was based on face-to-face interviews with learning and development managers in thirty large organizations including Rolls-Royce plc, Leicester City Council Maintenance DSO, Selfridges & Co and BT Retail. It focused on two sectors that have strong historical associations with apprenticeship programmes, engineering and construction, and two newer sectors, retailing and information and telecommunications technology.
Victoria Winkler, learning, training and development adviser, said:
"What is clear is that in the right circumstances employers can benefit from the introduction or expansion of apprenticeship training, but this cannot be a blanket approach. Government needs to work with UK businesses to identify the industries and roles where apprenticeship programmes will work best for both the individual and the employer.
"Employers value the scope that apprenticeship programmes can have for improving the selection and socialisation of young people who are prospective long-term employees, but their willingness to participate depends primarily on how they perceive the technical content of the vocational qualifications - and the relevance of these to their business."
Other key findings include:
- In England the age limit on access to apprenticeships has technically been removed. However, with the exception of a small number of pilot schemes, 25 remains the effective age limit for eligibility for most funding. Given the growing need to train 'adult' workers in intermediate skills, this restriction could reduce the involvement of some employers.
- More effort is needed to ensure provision of continued development to enable technical training for the apprentice. The limitation of LSC funding to Level 2-3 programmes has reduced the support of technician (Level 4) programmes.
- The scope for expanding apprenticeship is constrained in information technology, and in much of retailing, by employers' preference for graduate recruitment and upgrade training, and by high rates of labour mobility.
Victoria Winkler commented:
"Government needs to become better at communicating the different types of apprenticeship programmes available and highlighting the benefits to businesses."
