CPA Bulletin

42 CPA Bulletin > May 2023 www.cpa.uk.net The aim of this and subsequent articles is to highlight these issues, from which CPA is collectively seeking solutions to mitigate some of the issues and provide further guidance to employers on how apprenticeships can be better delivered, further helping completion rates. In terms of the function of apprenticeships, they are recognised as probably the oldest and established form of training, based on learning on-the-job though mentoring and teaching by experienced co-workers and the employer. Over the years, however, the learning process has been more formalised through the following of defined learning programmes, which require the attainment of prescribed qualifications, usually delivered through educational-based providers. Those who’ve completed an apprenticeship tend to be proud of having been an apprentice and holding their completion certification, normally issued by industry bodies, skills councils and/or other associations. Having completed an apprenticeship also means that it has and can provide a platform for advancement to key positions in industry and there would be many a manager and director in the plant sector who are former apprentices. It is also accepted that being or having been employed as an apprentice tends to make them more loyal to both their employer and the sector. The prime feature of any apprenticeship is the carrying out of the occupation within the workplace, working alongside co-workers and being part of a team. This means that full employer involvement should be paramount to successful completion of the apprenticeship and was the reason for the changes to apprenticeship delivery back in 2015. Prior to that, most plant-based apprenticeships came under the framework model which required the attainment of formal training qualifications and a competence-based vocational qualification (normally an NVQ or SVQ). These were managed and delivered in the main by a college or educationally-based training provider, with managing-type agencies dealing with the recruitment, registration and funding activities. It was felt, however, that the employer wasn’t fully involved in the formal delivery and was only there to provide the work experience, having little or no say in what was in the apprenticeship. Based on these findings, the Government in 2015 introduced the trailblazer model - now known as standards-based apprenticeships - which aimed to put employers back in the driving seat, who would determine what was in an apprenticeship for a given occupation and how it should be delivered and assessed. It also intended to encourage employers to become their own training provider and take more responsibility for the learning, with 80% of learning to be undertaken in the workplace and the remaining 20% to be delivered ‘off-the-job’, albeit still deliverable through the employer. To produce an apprenticeship for an occupation, employers from the relevant sector of industry would come together to develop the standard - being the skills, knowledge and the required behaviours - along with the final assessment criteria. To assist with the process, CPA funded and managed the working groups for TRAINING: 1 TRAINING Plant Occupations Apprenticeship DeliverY This is the first of a number of articles on the plant-based apprenticeships and particularly on issues that are arising around delivery and assessments, based on a number of recent reports and direct feedback from employers, training providers and apprentices themselves.