Apprenticeships in England: Different Types and Levels
Apprenticeships in England: Different Types and Levels
The headline figures:
- ·A record 234,000 people started apprenticeships in the 2008/09 academic year. 155,300 of those were at Level 2 and 78,700 of those were at Level 3.
- ·However, the number of apprenticeship starts for the 16-18 year old group has declined from 107,000 in 2007/08 to 96,700 in 2008/09.
- ·The number of apprenticeship starts in the 25+ group has increased from 300 in 2006/07 to 54,700 in 2007/08.
- ·Government funding is primarily directed at the 16-18 age group as a means of tacking youth unemployment.
- ·Lord Leitch recommended that there be at least 500,000 apprenticeships in the UK by 2020. This converts to at least 400,000 in England.
- ·A further £7m funding to develop new delivery models such as GTAs (Group Training Associations) and ATAs (Apprenticeship Training Agencies) was announced this year. This is in addition to the £140m package the Prime Minister announced to provide an extra 35,000 Apprenticeship places.
- ·The apprenticeship completion rate in 07/08 reached 63.9%. In 2001 the completion rate stood at only 24%.
Levels of apprenticeship
There are three levels of Apprenticeship available for those aged 16 and over:
Apprenticeships (equivalent to five good GCSE passes)Apprentices work towards work-based learning qualifications such as an NVQ Level 2, Key Skills and, in most cases, a relevant knowledge based qualification such as a BTEC. These provide the skills you need for your chosen career and allow entry to an Advanced Apprenticeship.
Advanced Apprenticeships (equivalent to two A-level passes)
Advanced apprentices work towards work-based learning qualifications such as an NVQ Level 3, Key Skills and, in most cases, a relevant knowledge based certificate such as a BTEC. To start this programme, the applicant should ideally have five GCSEs (grade C or above) or have completed an Apprenticeship.
Higher Apprenticeships
Higher apprentices work towards work-based learning qualifications such as an NVQ Level 4 and, in some cases, a knowledge-based qualification such as a Foundation degree.
Apprentices can also progress to higher education, including university degrees.
Other types of apprenticeship
Programme Led Apprenticeships (PLAs)
Eighty five per cent of apprentices are employed (Employer Led Apprenticeships). However, there is an unwaged, college based option designed for people who cannot find an employer to take them on as an apprentice. These are called Programme Led Apprenticeships or PLAs. These are not in any way a substitute for the traditional employer-led apprenticeship.
The learning is college based with unpaid work placements. The 'apprentice' is essentially a student, rather than an employee, therefore is not entitled to any pay other than possibly an EMA (Educational Maintenance Allowance) of up to £30 per week.
The numbers of PLAs are relatively small and are declining. Participation in PLAs fell by 58 per cent from 2005 to 2007.
NAS has stated that they do not publicise or publish data on PLAs because 'there are still decisions to be made on their future'.
Worryingly, an Ofsted report in 2008 found that some PLAs were doing as much as 30 hours of 'work experience' per week for no pay.
Young Apprenticeships (YAs)
Young apprenticeships are designed to be a high quality programme for motivated young people (14-16) at Key Stage 4 who are given the opportunity to start their career with an employer and learning provider by spending up to two days in the workplace and the other days in school.
The number of Young Apprentices is relatively small (300 in 07/08
Entry to Employment (E2E)
This is a programme aimed at young people (16-18) who do not have sufficient skills or qualifications to start an apprenticeship programme.
The programme offers Functional (basic) skills qualifications as well as vocational training designed to equip the young person with the relevant skills to progress on to an apprenticeship.
The government has announced additional funding for 10,000 new Entry to Employment places, and Education Maintenance Allowance to go with this.
Funding
Apprenticeship funding is available from the National Apprenticeship Service. The subsidy is paid to the provider, not the employer[1].
The size of the contribution varies depending on the sector and the age of the apprentice. If the apprentice is aged 16-18, 100 per cent of the cost of the training is paid by the government; if they are 19+, up to 50 per cent of the training costs are paid by the government.
In all cases, the employer is responsible for paying the apprentice's wages[2].
The table below shoes how funding is distributed across age groups.
|
Age |
National Apprenticeship Service contribution |
|
16 -18 |
100% |
|
19 - 24 |
50% |
|
25 + |
Contribution for specified places |
How apprenticeships correspond to other qualifications
|
NQF Level[3] |
Example of Qualifications |
|
Entry level |
|
|
Level 1 |
|
|
Level 2 |
|
|
Level 3 |
|
|
Level 4 |
|
|
Level 5 |
|
[1] Although some larger employers who deliver the apprentice training in house are directly funded through the National Employer Service (NES), the vast majority of funding for apprentice training goes to the provider.
[2] There may be some exceptions to this such as apprentices recruited via the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) whose salaries are paid by the FJF for the first 6 months.
[3] Post-Jan 06
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