On November 15, Edge and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) delivered the last of three workshops looking at the future of the UK’s apprenticeship systems. Our first workshop unpicked current trends impacting apprenticeships and the labour market. The second explored best practices from different systems around the UK. Our final session drew these insights into a much broader, action-focused discussion. We aimed to identify opportunities for enhancing the UK’s apprenticeship provision and the practical implications of any changes on policymakers, learners and the system at large.
Balancing complexity with flexibility
The discussion kicked off with an employer’s perspective from Joanna Morrison, Early Talent Manager for Supply Chain and Procurement at Diageo. Joanna referenced the importance of the relationship between businesses and the school system as a pipeline for future talent. She highlighted a need for greater levels of support and intervention in schools to assist with critical employability skills development.
She highlighted barriers that employers face when engaging with the apprenticeship system. She affirmed that employers are passionate about meta-skills – for developing individuals and bridging the skill gap. However, while they want to help apprentices build competencies such as self-awareness, personal development and business skills, the complexity and variability of the four nations’ different systems pose a massive challenge.
To illustrate, Joanna highlighted the example of funding pots, which vary across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Diageo, for example, has a footprint in all four nations. However, the variation in funding options across the four nations adds an additional layer of complexity and can prove difficult for businesses to navigate.
She also highlighted the potential of micro-credentials for helping employers adapt more quickly to economic change. Unfortunately, many apprenticeship frameworks – particularly those in vital areas like sustainable skills or renewable energy – are underdeveloped or outdated, adding friction to the system. Some sort of central interface, she said, could help with many of these issues while allowing employers to more easily support apprentices across different colleges, training providers and geographic regions.
Policy insights from across the four nations
Policymakers from around the UK also offered reflections from their respective jurisdictions. We welcomed Jonathan Mitchell (England), Huw Morris (Wales), Mark Lee (Northern Ireland),
and Jane Duffy (Scotland). Despite regional differences between apprenticeship policies, there was some convergence, too. All four nations, for example, clearly recognise the growing value of meta-skills. The challenge comes in how best to deliver these. How can we incorporate meta-skills into school curriculums, for example, or equip teachers to deliver them? In terms of apprenticeships, could a rigorous set of shared occupational standards play a role in bringing the four nations into closer alignment?
Other common themes focused on employer engagement and funding. Policymakers across the nations highlighted the need to ensure greater representation and diversity of employers. Broader employer input across all aspects of apprenticeship design, delivery and assessment would not only boost employer engagement – it would likely encourage apprenticeship take-up across more diverse groups, tackling issues like age and gender inequality.
Finally, while policy colleagues stressed the challenging fiscal times we are in, there is a clear appetite to explore how available resources can be put to best use.
What changes do industry colleagues want to see?
Following breakout discussions, we asked attendees to reflect on what changes they would like to see. Unsurprisingly, improved access to funding was again a high priority. But since funding is a seemingly perennial challenge, what other actions did colleagues prioritise?
A sticking point for many was the complexity of the system. Some recommended solutions included improved collaboration between the four nations on standards and credentials (to offer a more streamlined model); the introduction of non-technical, plain English guidance; employer-focused advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships, and better promotion of apprenticeships to parents and schools, to improve talent pipelines.
Crucially, there were also firm calls to diversify apprenticeships by including a broader range of employers in their development. The current system is often skewed towards larger, private companies with greater autonomy and their own funding. Creating more space for input from SMEs and employers from the public and third sectors would create a more robust system that delivers for learners in different economic and geographic contexts while also improving employer uptake.
Key takeaways
Despite fundamental differences between the UK’s apprenticeship systems and policies, our final session highlighted just how much the four nations have in common. Inevitably, different pressure points will need addressing for different stakeholders. But the overall solutions build on a shared vision for greater integration and equitable access to apprenticeships and funding.
By digging into the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s four systems, these workshops have highlighted that there is much to be hopeful about. There is already a lot that works within the apprenticeship systems. Where change is required, much of it will involve removing complexity where past changes – though well-intended – have inadvertently made the systems harder to navigate. Taking these insights forward, Edge and SDS will continue to support policymakers, employers and training providers to improve the apprenticeship system in a way that works for everyone – not least, of course, for learners themselves.
