Celebrating Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship Week has never been more relevant than in 2011. Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service, the week is used by the education industry and government as a catalyst to raise the profile of the skills, benefits and value of apprentices to UK PLC as we move rapidly towards an Apprenticeship dominated work-based learning environment.

Analysts forecast that the UK economy will grow by around 2.1% in 2011. While this is an improvement on last year’s figures, it still lags behind the German economy, for instance, which is expected to grow by 2.3% this year on the back of 3.6% GDP growth in 2010. One of the key reasons analysts are citing for the difference in the performance of the two nations is the German commitment to investment in skills development, which far outweighs that of Britain. In Germany, they have operated a dual education system for some time, putting vocational education at the heart of everything they do, and they have always had a very robust Apprenticeship programme.

Our own education minister last month pledged to keep Apprenticeships at the heart of the UK government’s skills strategy, as he launched the new quality guarantee for Apprenticeships. To create the knowledge-driven economy that we need to secure future growth, it is crucial that through Apprenticeships, we push the value of skills development to employers.

The Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (AAN) brings together like-minded public and private sector organisations that are committed to providing active support in whichever way possible to the development of Apprenticeships at all levels of business across the UK.

The AAN is there to help all of us in our drive to raise the awareness of the value of Apprenticeship programmes among UK employers. There is a growing wave of companies out there that are able and available to stand up and give real case studies about the benefits of Apprentices to their organisations. Companies like Superdrug, BT, Robert Wiseman and Compass have all been very open in recognising the return on investment and other nett benefits that apprentices have delivered into their business models. For more information on the AAN and to tap into its support, go to www.employersforapprentices.gov.uk

When talking to employers, I regularly challenge their perceptions of what Apprenticeships can bring to them. Every time a business creates a vacancy in their organisation, at whatever level, I believe they should first ask whether that role can be filled by an Apprentice.

Once an employer properly engages with Apprenticeships, they will be able to make evidence-based decisions and develop their use of Apprentices to a point where they will consider investing in an Apprentice irrespective of whether there is government funding available to them for doing so. If funding is the primary reason for taking on an Apprentice, that is a short-sighted view of things – the decision has to be based on the value that Apprentice will add to the organisation.

There are many tangible benefits, but also many intangibles, as my own experience illustrates. Pearson has recently certified a number of new Apprentices across a number of our business units and I think personal evidence is often as important as academic when we look to influence others.

One of the apprentices we have, for instance, recently gave a presentation to our marketing executive that outlined the role of social media in today’s communication environment. I can honestly say that he has changed my perceptions of the ways we should be communicating with customers and learners. I certainly learnt some new language and recognise how easy it could be for anyone to become a digital dinosaur.

Just one young apprentice has made me challenge the way I think about traditional marketing and communications routes as opposed to social media – he made it exciting and real and will help us improve our communications through various social media networks. Our next challenge is to gauge precisely what the financial gains of that work will be.

We are right behind Apprenticeship Week. I am participating in a panel discussion and question and answer session at the official launch event, hosted by BT, at which Vince Cable is a keynote speaker. Pearson will be publishing new guides for parents, learners and employers. We will also be supporting colleges and providers with sponsorship and participation at a series of seminars and networking events around the country, all aimed at raising the awareness levels of learners and employers.

We have invested heavily in the BTEC Apprenticeship programme and we have worked closely with employers to ensure this is offering them the support and framework they need to train their future workforce. We want them to be seen as the gold standard qualification for entry into the workplace. If it is going to be seen as that, we know that we have to inspire others with our own vision of what value Apprenticeships can bring to any organisation.

Trevor Luker is managing director of Pearson Work Based Learning