BQ2 Special Report: The Apprenticeship Levy

2 BUSINESS QUARTER NORTH EAST: Special Report - The Apprenticeship Levy

COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE Northumbria University’s Peter Francis believes universities and employers working together deliver the best results

IN THE DRIVING SEAT NCFE’s Mike Boswell looks at how the levy will put employers centre stage

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE LEVY? BQ Live Debate participants discuss the opportunities created and challenges posed by the Apprenticeship Levy In association with

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A NEW LANDSCAPE FOR SKILLS

CONTENTS 06. PREPARING THE WORKFORCE Newcastle College principal Tony Lewin oversees an ever-evolving curriculum 12. SHAPE THE FUTURE The expansion of Degree and Higher Apprenticeships offers huge opportunities says Peter Francis 22. AIM HIGH FOR SKILLS The University of Sunderland has built on a long legacy of skills training, pro vice-chancellor John Macintyre explains 28. TRAINING TOGETHER Teesside University’s Dr Ruth Helyer explains how partnership is vital to apprenticeships 34. LIVE DEBATE A panel of experts examines the apprenticeship levy’s impact and how the region can maximise the benefits 40. SPOTLIGHT ON EMPLOYERS NCFE’s Mike Boswell explains how the levy will put employers centre stage 48. PROVIDERS PREPARED Kelly Lee, managing director of KF Training explains how it is ahead of the game

After months of speculation, Article 50 is about to be triggered as we go to press.

It is a significant moment in the move toward Brexit but just as significant is the introduction of a new policy which has the potential to make or break the UK’s economy outside the EU. The Apprenticeship Levy creates new opportunities as well as presenting many challenges. It is the Government’s big policy initiative to stimulate an increase in the number of businesses taking on apprenticeships - in particular SMEs. All employers with an annual wage bill of over £3m will be required to pay a 0.5% tax which they can spend on training new apprentices or existing staff.

There is also the Institute for Apprenticeships, a statutory body, responsible for ensuring the high quality of apprenticeships in England develop and maintain quality criteria for approval of apprenticeship standards and assessment plans; support development of standards and assessment plans by employer groups and review and approve them; maintain a public database of apprenticeship standards and publish information illustrating potential gaps; advise Government on the maximum rate of Government funding (including that generated by the levy) that should be assigned to each apprenticeship standard; and have a role in quality assuring the delivery of apprentice end point assessments, where employer groups have been unable to propose employer-led arrangements.

But what does all this mean, how will it work and what can you do to make the most of the funding available?

This special feature aims to answer these questions through the words of experts in the field - those charged with delivering apprenticeships and training in the North East.

It provides facts and opportunities to stimulate debate around changing the perceptions of apprenticeships and getting across the fact they are not just for school leavers – particularly the new Higher and Degree programmes.

It looks at how more businesses can be encouraged and supported to take on apprentices, tackling the region’s skills challenges with a joined-up approach and highlighting examples of excellence.

This BQ2 report does not have all the answers but it features many people and organisations who can provide solutions to training needs for companies of all sizes.

Nothing is more important than having a workforce with the right skills to compete in a globalised marketplace against established and emerging economies alike. From March 29 it has even more significance as we prepare for life outside the European Union.

Paul Robertson, BQ Editor, North East

Business Quarter is part of BE Group, the UK’s market leading business improvement specialists. www.be-group.co.uk

Business Quarter, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT. www.bqlive.co.uk. As a dedicated supporter of entrepreneurship, BQ is making a real and tangible contribution to local, regional and national economic growth across the UK. We are unique in what we aim to achieve as a media brand, a brand that has established a loyal audience of high growth SMEs and leading business influencers. They wholeheartedly believe in BQ’s focus on people – those individuals that are challenging the traditional ways of doing things. They are our entrepreneurs. BQ reaches entrepreneurs and senior business executives across Scotland, the North East and Cumbria, the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Wales, London and the South, in-print, online and through branded events. All contents copyright © 2017 Business Quarter. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All content in this BQ2 should be regarded as advertorial.

All information is correct at time of going to print, March 2017.

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hether it is aerospace, aviation, healthcare or a whole host of other sectors – Newcastle College is working with employers to position itself at the heart of the region’s skills agenda.

College principal Tony Lewin is proud of the fact that over 90% of learners successfully progress either into employment or continued education.

He sees the scale of the college – it is the third largest in the country with a turnover of £61m, 15,000 full and part-time students, a staff of 1,100 and is part of the wider Newcastle College Group – as an advantage in attracting the best talent to the city, with a campus boasting facilities few can match and with a national reach.

The fact it is now a Higher Education institution in its own right is opening up new avenues to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships and while Mr Lewin is keen to promote this progression, he is looking to engage with even more employers to work with students at all levels.

“One of the biggest opportunities is around the increased awareness of apprenticeships,” he says. “For so many years they disappeared from the curriculum offer when they are in fact an ideal way to support and develop an individual and a business.

“Opening apprenticeships up above Level 3 is the game changer. No longer is it just about a low-level apprenticeship as some people perceived it. There is recognition you can start at the college on a Level 2 course and take a vocational career path which leads to a degree.

“One of our biggest challenges is to engage employers when they are busy with businesses to run – we need to marry the employer’s time and effort with the students who can become apprentices. We need to find enough employers to work with us.”

The main campus stands tall at one of the gateways to the city, most easily seen driving across the Redheugh Bridge from

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“One of our biggest challenges is to engage employers when they are busy with businesses to run�

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Gateshead. Mr Lewin has been at the helm for almost two years having joined from New College Durham where he was deputy principal, previously leaving a career in local government to take a lecturing post in business and IT. He grew up in Consett, a town which has had to reinvent itself since the loss of the steelworks, a background which has stood him in good stead for the ever-changing skills landscape.

“You have to be part of the bigger picture - we will sit down with anyone; individuals, employers and local authorities to discuss how we can help,” he says. “It is all about listening to what they are trying to achieve and putting the appropriate actions in place to get there.

“Our approach to study is different to universities, as our learners are not progressing through the traditional A’ level route.

The methods of study and assessment are appropriate to that.

A’ levels were the gold standard so it is important to engage all stakeholders and explain if you study with a college the end output is still the same. You can walk away with a degree as well but if it is not that route you want to take then you will still be more employable by successfully completing the vocational route.”

Apprenticeships are a key part of Newcastle College’s offering.

“We are responding to the regional skills needs by developing a stronger and more focused role in delivering apprenticeships and vocational higher education especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) areas,” says Mr Lewin.

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“A student can start with us at Level 2 and walk away with a degree”

“We serve several different stakeholder groups – the individual student making a career choice with their own expectation and progression plan and we have the skills needs of the employers to provide upskilling of their current staff and to position those younger students on the right trajectory to be employable at the end of their education.

“We also uniquely have that opportunity to take our students beyond the normal Further Education offer and progress them through to Higher Education – a student can start with us at Level 2 and walk away with a degree. Our breadth of offer puts us in a good position.”

The digital sector is one of a number the college serves and it expects will play a big role in the expansion of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships. Leading global professional services company Accenture uses Newcastle College for its Level 5 foundation degree in software engineering, while the team is in active discussions with other digital businesses.

A facility at Newcastle International Airport is home to trainee aerospace technicians learning how to maintain aircraft, while a purpose-built rail academy just over the river provides a realistic training environment for students, apprentices and employees to upskill.

“We are a technical and professional institution so our aviation and rail academies are a unique selling point,” said Mr Lewin. “It prepares our students to be employable within the industries, provides them with a professional qualification and crucially gives them the license to practice in the industry.

“Our rail academy has direct links with employers like Nexus and Network Rail, as well as companies operating in the supply chain in areas such as track maintenance. It is a developing market due to the biggest investment in rail since Victorian times and this facility means we are ahead of the game. We take on full time students and, as they qualify, employers take them on to apprenticeships and stay with us.

“It is a tri-partite relationship. It is pointless preparing students for a job or career they are not able to do. The employers are fundamental in providing advice as to what the qualification should look like but equally in ensuring the experience the students get meets their needs. Rail students are taken to operate on live tracks so they do Health and Safety. Nothing simulates being stood on the side of the tracks as the train goes past – you have to experience that and understand the safety critical aspect.”

The Healthcare sector is a growing area for apprenticeships.

Two floors of the Parsons Building have been set up as a hospital facility consisting of two hospital wards with patient mannequins, a paediatric ward, an intensive care unit and a facility to train students on domiciliary care.

“Employers approach us to select their next apprentices as they see our students excelling, following training that is mapped to industry sector needs – it happens a lot in health as well as automotive and rail,” he said. “It is a proving ground, giving the students a competitive edge that employers really value.

They can then hit the ground running as apprentices. Not all workplaces can cover the range of experiences required whereas the college environment can.”

Working with young people, teachers and career advisors is a critical part of the college’s recruitment process, especially when it comes to apprenticeships where, despite the increased profile of the vocational route, there is still a gap in understanding.

Mr Lewin says: “We engage with all schools from Berwick down to Durham – we are based in the city but being in the North East’s capital we are very much a regional college and our student population reflects that.

“We bring teachers and careers advisors to the college, give them a tour of facilities, the chance to talk with students and employers – they are influencers of the future generation so they are the ones we start with. We explain to parents that an apprenticeship can lead to the same employment destination as if students took A’ levels or a degree – this is still not widely known.

“There is literature and advice events for parents and students to talk to us about the opportunities, the jobs and the ability to further their education up to degree level.

“Think of Newcastle College departments as faculties within a university – following the Privy Council awarding NCG taught degree awarding powers we don’t have to go anywhere else to devise and deliver degree level qualifications. We have a full

Apprentices prove a recipe for success at Jesmond Dene House The luxury hotel, Jesmond Dene House, has found that apprenticeships have played a key part in its recruitment strategy and is reaping the rewards of investing in young talent. The hotel has had apprenticeships in place for trainee chefs for a number of years and recently approached Newcastle College to help with the recruitment for front-of-house roles at the hotel and restaurant.

Scott Davidson, general manager at Jesmond Dene House, says: “Working in a busy hotel in Newcastle, I was finding that a lot of my applicants were students interested in pursuing alternative career paths. I really wanted to build a team who were passionate about hospitality and dedicated to developing a long term career in the sector.”

Dale Toner (pictured), is completing his hospitality apprenticeship after originally starting out as a kitchen assistant. Dale says: “I have worked my way from front-of-house onto floor manager, assistant manager and now restaurant manager. I think the ability to progress while I study has definitely been one of the best parts of my apprenticeship.”

Scott is glowing on Dale’s time at Jesmond Dene House: “He’s become an incredible asset to the company and has progressed from a kitchen assistant to restaurant manager. We’re so proud of how far he’s come and the fact that we’ve been able to support him to achieve his ambitions along the way. He’s recently won the Shooting Star award at the North East Hotel Association Awards and was runner up in Trainee of the Year at the Newcastle Business Awards”.

Dale has been supported by his manager and fellow team members at the hotel. He adds: “We’re like a big family here at Jesmond Dene House and I really feel like I’m part of a team. We all help each other out and have the same goals. I was quite shy when I started out, but I’m really passionate about hospitality so I just got my head down, as I wanted to get the most out of the experience.”

Scott believes the reason that apprenticeships have been a success for the hotel is that they’ve been able to find people who want to work in the industry and have a passion for the job. He adds: “We have three apprentices in front-of-house roles now and they’re positive, hardworking and excellent at what they do. The young people who join us don’t necessarily need any practical skills to begin with as we can teach that. What’s most important is that they’ve got ambition and a positive attitude.”

Switched on to training Utilitywise is investing in apprenticeships to aid with the development of its business as it plans for further growth and has teamed up with Newcastle College Utilitywise, the UK’s largest Business Energy consultancy based in Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside plans to train and develop 35 existing members of staff with apprenticeships in leadership and management at both intermediate and advanced level through the college.

The apprenticeships aimed at individuals aged 19 and over, will upskill Utilitywise’s current workforce and strengthen their growing team.

The training will see existing colleagues gain nationally recognised qualifications in their work-specific area.

The company will be able to roll-out the training with limited disruption to the working day, due to the practicality and flexibility of the apprenticeships.

David Armstrong, Apprenticeship Manager at Utilitywise said: “Newcastle College have been a great support to Utilitywise since our first meeting back in December. We have had numerous discussions in relation to getting the best quality work-based learning qualifications for our colleagues and the advice provided has been fantastic.

“We will also be working with partners of Newcastle College to roll out these opportunities nationally to our offices in other areas of the country which we are looking forward to implementing in the coming weeks. These are really exciting times for us here at Utilitywise and we are looking forward to working with Newcastle College.”

Michael Humes, Business Consultant at Newcastle College said “Utilitywise place a strong emphasis on personal development, with staff already benefitting from a number of structured training opportunities. The apprenticeship training will give staff the opportunity to progress within the business.

“We are delighted to see such a large company investing in the apprenticeship programme and look forward to working with the Utilitywise team to deliver programmes that meet their training objectives.”

validation process which allows us to work with an employer and produce what they are looking for and validate it as a degree.

“For example, in engineering somebody might finish a vocational qualification or A’ levels and then progress to a Higher Apprenticeship within their subject area and study the theory, and - this is the nice bit - get their hands dirty in terms of the practical side. That is where we sit - they can actually pick up the spanner.”

Currently the college attracts 5,000 16-18 year-olds, with 3,000 Higher Education students. Going forward, Mr Lewin anticipates apprentices will make up a higher proportion of those going into HE, while supporting employers through the new Apprenticeship Levy is an immediate priority.

“For those businesses who must pay the levy the question is how they do more and better with their training and development budgets to add value to the business, upskilling existing staff but also taking on new creative and innovative people to drive the business forward,” says Mr Lewin.

“Then there are the smaller companies, those with 1-50 staff, nearly all of whom won’t pay the levy, but how it affects them is key. They may not have the cashflow to make best use of it, which is where we can come in with an advisory service to support the whole process. If you are a plumber and want to take on an apprentice but don’t want to be saddled with the administration, we can do that for you – it is the bulk of the market.

“For those organisations with a large levy they can use it to address their Corporate Social Responsibility in the wider community by supporting apprenticeships among those that don’t always get the opportunity, such as NEETs [Not in Employment, Education or Training] or the long term unemployed. We are having conversations with employers who want to do exactly that, which fits with the college ethos and purpose of unlocking potential through learning.”

Mr Lewin says another advantage for Newcastle College is the fact it has national reach as part of NCG. With four colleges and two training providers, an annual turnover of £178 million and 3,000 staff spread across 61 locations, NCG is not only one of the leading providers of education, training and employability across the UK, it is also one of the largest not for profit training groups.

It works with more than 133,000 learners and 20,000 businesses each year and has helped more than 23,000 apprentices into work.

“Being part of the most successful education group is a great North East success story,” says Mr Lewin. “We can draw on that national expertise as a training provider – big employers use us because of our national standing that other colleges cannot provide.”

One recent example is the BBC where Newcastle College won a bid to become the national learning provider for the BBC’s innovative broadcast and communications apprenticeships.

The apprenticeship, aimed at individuals aged 18 and over has been designed to address a skills gap in broadcast multiskilled operations and communications engineering. Through the

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“Being part of the most successful education group is a great North East success story”

programme at Newcastle College, the BBC intends to upskill its workforce and replenish the talent pool in the UK for the benefit of the broadcast industry.

The BBC plans to train up to 16 employees each year towards a Level 3 Advanced Certificate Award in Digital Technologies. Over a 22-month period, apprentices will be based

at various BBC offices across England, spending periods away from the business on blockrelease study at Newcastle College.

Mr Lewin says many employers are missing out on the opportunity to work with Newcastle College and is urging them to take advantage of its offering.

“I understand they have the immediate work

pressures to deal with but I would say to them take the time to have one meeting with us to talk about the opportunities. The commitment from employers isn’t substantial but the return on that investment could be substantial – their advice and input has the biggest impact in ensuring we are delivering the future workforce with the right skills at the right time.” n

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DEVELOP YOUR PEOPLE ,

SHAPE THE FUTURE

Workforce planning, alongside the associated investment in the training and development of employees is set to undergo significant cultural change with the expansion of degree and higher apprenticeships. Northumbria University deputy vice-chancellor Peter Francis believes they offer huge opportunities for employers and universities – and that collaboration will deliver the best results.

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ack in 2015, degree and higher apprenticeships were hailed by former Prime Minister David Cameron as a key strand in the Government’s skills strategy. Offering apprenticeship choices from entry-level qualifications all the way up to graduate and post-graduate qualifications, is a marked shift in focus and commitment that will have far-reaching impact. For many employers, the announcement represents major change. It has understandably thrown up many strategic

questions about organisational development and associated workforce development needs.

While all businesses will have access to degree and higher apprenticeship programmes for their staff, from April this year larger organisations – including Northumbria University - will be required to pay an annual 0.5% levy on their payroll where this exceeds £3million.

Employers can offer the degree apprenticeship scheme to both new recruits and existing staff, helping to create and sustain a highly skilled

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STCS Ltd

Northumbria was one of the first UK universities to offer degree apprenticeships, launching its first undergraduate degree apprenticeship programme in Digital and Technology Solutions in September 2015.

Among the 18 students to enrol that year was Jennifer Gane, who works for website and software development company STCS Ltd as a junior software developer while carrying out her studies at Northumbria.

Jennifer said: “For me, degree apprenticeships offer the best of both worlds – you can gain a degree level qualification while at the same time earning money and gaining real-life experience within the industry you are studying. Degree apprenticeships are as academically challenging and rigorous as a traditional degree, perhaps even more so in some ways because you are working at the same time. But the big benefit is that when you graduate you already have a job within your chosen field.”

John Wiseman, director of STCS Ltd said: “The Degree Apprenticeship scheme at Northumbria University has changed the way we think about finding and developing talent. So far, we have three degree apprentices in the scheme at Northumbria and I have every intention of continuing to employ apprentices for this scheme alongside our more traditional graduate route.”

and competitive workforce with graduate-level skills. Indeed, just like many of our business partners, at Northumbria we are looking to make sure the levy works for us in the most productive and positive way.

Higher education institutions have been preparing for degree apprenticeships by expanding and developing their offering and creating programmes that meet the Department for Education Apprenticeship Standards. At Northumbria, we have invested early in developing high quality provision, working closely with our business partners to ensure we design programmes, and delivery and assessment strategies that offer the best possible learning experience for employees and the strongest outcome for the business. We are already working with national organisations including H.M. Revenue & Customs, Balfour Beatty, Foster + Partners, Turner and Townsend, and Tech Partnership to develop degree apprenticeship programmes.

This collaborative approach reflects Northumbria’s long history and successful track record of partnering with businesses and other organisations in a variety of ways. Whether it’s through knowledge creation and research activity, mentoring and executive coaching, continuing professional development, short courses and specialist training, parttime programmes, distance learning at undergraduate and post graduate level – and now degree apprenticeships – it’s about long term sustainable relationships built on trust and clear agreed outcomes.

The degree apprenticeship programmes we are now designing and developing are very much a partnership between the university, the apprentice and the employer, and in some cases the professional bodies. Students enrolled on degree apprenticeships divide their time between the workplace and flexible university study, so they are earning while learning and gaining real-world and real-work experience. Combining employment status with part-time student status is regarded as hugely valuable by many of the apprentices and employers we are currently engaged with. While the employee stands to gain an

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undergraduate or postgraduate qualification, the employer can retain, grow, develop and replenish talent – seeing their investment in training ploughed back into the organisation to generate real benefit, embedding organisational culture and values from day one.

As one of the first UK universities to offer degree apprenticeships, we are currently investing ÂŁ240,000 to expand our work-based offer. From September, we will be delivering degree apprenticeships in Chartered Surveying

and Chartered Manager, as well as Digital and Technology Solutions. Our Digital and Technology Solutions programme has three pathways; Software Engineer, Business Analyst and Data Analyst. We are also exploring with businesses opportunities to deliver degree apprenticeships in Architecture, Construction, Policing, Accountancy, Law (Solicitor), Nursing and other professional areas in the future.

Again, these programmes will be designed with employers to ensure they are providing the

required learning for employees. Furthermore, we will also be working in partnership with businesses and public service providers at a sector level. The Government’s enthusiasm for bringing employer groups together in this way to shape world-class apprenticeship programmes and assessments is evident through its Trailblazer process. Trailblazers bring together groups of employers to determine the knowledge, skills and attributes they require from employees within a set of standards.

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“Northumbria’s focus is therefore framed around quality, academic excellence with research-informed teaching”

Such employer and sector-led groups are seen as a key pillar of Government plans, and are likely to gain momentum in the months ahead.

Our long experience as an education provider working with partners in both the public and private sector puts us in a strong position to support those businesses and organisations involved in the Trailblazer process.

We also understand that degree apprenticeships are new and that many businesses and organisations are planning their response and exploring a variety of options. This is why our provision is designed to be demand-focused and responsive to the requirements of business. Potential apprentices have to meet similar entry requirements to that of our full time students. The dual demands of employment and study are highly challenging and we want to ensure that entrants have the talent and ability to succeed in both environments. Employers also need to gain the best return on their investment.

Northumbria’s focus is therefore framed around quality, academic excellence with research-rich

learning and responding quickly and positively to changing needs.

As part of our engagement strategy, we are hosting a number of events with employers to raise awareness of our current and developing offer and to gain greater understanding of their workforce development needs. The first of these events was held in February with over 120 employers from across the North East region.

Stephen North, the Policy Lead for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships within the Department for Education shared current changes to the apprenticeship scheme, what this means for employers and how skills shortages in the workplace can be addressed through the Apprenticeship levy. We are currently organising more to bring together likeminded parties.

High quality learning and teaching is at the heart of our delivery model. Our Degree Apprenticeship programmes are research rich, leading edge, business focused and professional. They are taught by academics whose rich and relevant research and business

With over 20 years’ experience, Professor Peter Francis’s career spans all aspects of academia, from learning and teaching to research and enterprise. His extensive experience regionally and nationally, which includes acting as a senior advisor to the Home Office, means that he is extremely well placed to help shape the academic agenda for a university that is research rich, business engaged and known for its academic excellence.

Since joining Northumbria University in January 1994, Professor Francis has shaped the development of the university’s criminology curriculum and provision. By developing a

knowledge combine to offer apprentices a deep learning experience. Our teaching is informed by the latest research, which ensures relevance, enhances the overall learning experience, and ensures apprentices benefit from the most up-to-date knowledge and skills. Quality face-to-face learning is further supported by a wide use of technologies and flexible teaching modes so that learning is accessible and convenient within the workplace, University and home.

Programmes will also incorporate the latest and most appropriate industry standards and accreditation, to offer both academic and professional recognition and maximise the return on investment in training. Indeed, more than 50 professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs) accredit our programmes across the University, which means students graduate with industry-recognised professional accreditation, as well as their degree. To take just one example of this, Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School recently achieved a double Association to Advance Collegiate

discipline from the ground up, Professor Francis gained invaluable experience in creating courses that are research informed but remain relevant to external employers, and that offer a high quality student learning experience.

As well as lecturing, Professor Francis has worked in a variety of posts across the university including head of department (arts), head of department (social sciences), associate dean (teaching and learning), and associate dean (academic) giving him a breadth of knowledge and invaluable insight into the need to support student engagement at all stages of their journey.

Schools of Business (ACCSB) international accreditation in business and accounting, putting it in the top 1% of business schools worldwide. Newcastle Business School was also the first in Europe to gain the double accreditation as a mark of internationallyrecognised excellence. Degree apprenticeships will also meet PSRB requirements; for example, successful completion of the Chartered Surveyor programme will result in Royal Institute of Chartered Surveying (RICS) accreditation. We are also working closely with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Royal Institute for British Architecture (RIBA).

The degree apprenticeship model of study is demanding for students, as they are completing their studies in parallel with a full time job.

This presents a very different opportunity to young people compared to the traditional undergraduate experience. Students do not pay for training costs, tuition fees and will not incur student loans. Employers will also be able to upskill their existing employees through apprenticeship programmes which will provide opportunities for many people to gain access higher education who previously may not have considered it a viable option.

Last year we launched our first undergraduate degree apprenticeship programme in Digital and Technology Solutions, with 18 apprentices now enrolled. Interestingly half of our current cohort of degree apprentices are mature learners who now have a pathway to higher level skills and higher paid employment. The feedback has been extremely positive, from apprentices and employers alike. In short, we believe that developing in your employee a distinctive set of graduate attributes is a powerful and positive outcome - at an individual, organisational and at a wider economic level. n

For more information on degree apprenticeships with Northumbria University and future events please contact: Emma Barron from the Business Development Team at Emma.Barron@northumbria.ac.uk or on 0191 349 5095.

H.M. Revenue & Customs

Student Ross Wilkinson has recently completed his first year of a degree apprenticeship at Northumbria University studying BSc Digital and Technology Solutions and has found the programme has opened some new opportunities.

The 27-year-old HM Revenue & Customs employee said: “The programme allows me to study a degree while in full-time employment, giving me the opportunity to implement new skills as I learn them. It has allowed me to improve and refine those skills, using industry best practice. The programming module has been challenging and is taught by someone who is passionate about programming, making this module the most fun.”

Mark Atkinson, person tax and test design and development lead at HM Revenue & Customs, added: ‘‘Ross has embraced this fantastic opportunity and has had a very successful first year of the programme. He is learning new and modern technologies and skills, which he is bringing back into Chief Digital and Information Office (CDIO), helping us to develop our digital capability and wider transformation vision. The partnership with Northumbria University and the local links with HMRC are developing the regional excellence and professionalism that we are committed towards.’

Develop your people.

Shape the future. 路 Degree Apprenticeships 路 Continuing Professional Development 路 Consultancy 路 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: www.northumbria.ac.uk/engagewithus

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MIND THE GAP Paul Robertson looks at the outdated perception of vocational education and the role T-Levels could play in addressing skills shortages reported among many sectors.

Whenever you speak to businesses in whatever sector – but particularly areas like engineering and manufacturing – one of the first issues to be raised is the skills gap.

An ageing working population, fast-paced changes in technology and an education system which has been geared towards universities for a generation has long been talked about but never addressed.

For too long vocational education has been seen as the poor relation, with technical and practical ability not given the same priority as academic qualifications.

Yet, apprenticeships are a proven route into many careers, earning while learning and building up an experience without the burden of debt befalling many of their graduate peers.

Successive governments have tinkered with the system but still apprenticeships are seen as inferior to degree programmes.

In countries like Germany, engineers are held in the same esteem as professionals like GPs in the UK, but here too many have an image as an apprentice being low-skilled and only in those jobs because they weren’t clever enough to go to university.

The Industry Apprentice Council has firmly established itself as the voice of apprentices with members regularly invited to address ministers, MPs, peers and leaders in both business and education.

Founded by EAL, the awarding organisation for industry and now run by its sister organisation

Semta, which is charged with skilling the workforce of the future, the IAC is made up of young apprentices from across the country.

It undertakes an annual survey. Previous surveys have highlighted problems in the system and the importance of ensuring apprenticeships are recognised with professional accreditation.

Key findings of the 2016 survey, in which more than 1,500 apprentices took part, included: • Careers advice is still in crisis • 50% of respondents found out about their apprenticeship through their own initiative – just 15% found out from a teacher or careers adviser • Only 24% of apprentices were actively encouraged to take up an apprenticeship by educators • 75% want a professional accreditation as standard Their message is echoed by others. Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden and an advocate for engineering said in a BBC interview: “Teachers need to be more inspirational. But it’s also up to engineering to make itself more interesting.

“Engineering stimulates the mind. Kids get bored easily. They have got to get out and get their hands dirty: make things, dismantle things, fix things. When the schools can offer that, you’ll have an engineer for life.”

Arguably its views like this which are the driver for the latest attempt to reform vocational education, which comes in the

form of so-called T-Levels, with £500m from the Chancellor’s recent Budget dedicated to introducing a robust system for linking qualifications with real worktime skills.

Employer-led, as they must be if they are to be adopted as credible, most commentators have welcomed the initiative as a potential game-changer.

Under the new system, each learner will undergo 900 hours of training – 50% more than is currently the case – as well as completing a three-month work placement as part of their course.

It is an opportunity not just for school leavers but also for those NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Employment) to kickstart their careers.

So what do we know so far?

Between now and 2022, 15 new pathways will be developed in 15 sector areas where substantial technical training is required to progress into employment.

These new routes are currently being developed; the first ‘pathfinder’ routes are planned for teaching in September 2019.

The 15 sectors covered encompass a range of occupations, each of which will have qualifications which are pertinent to the jobs within each sector. They are: Agriculture; Environmental and Animal Care; Business and Administrative; Catering and Hospitality; Childcare and Education; Construction; Creative and Design; Digital; Engineering and Manufacturing; Hair and Beauty; Health and Science; Legal, Finance and Accounting; Protective Services; Sales, Marketing and Procurement; Social Care; Transport and Logistics.

Employer-led panels will develop new ‘standards’ that will underpin the technical routes; these standards will underpin both the T-Levels and apprenticeships.

For this to work it needs a concerted effort by employers, Government, careers advisers and training providers to educate young people and their influencers – teachers and parents – as to the benefits of following this route.

The fact you can now start an apprenticeship and end up with a degree and even a doctorate, is an attractive selling point.

Industry needs bright graduates but equally it needs high-quality, highly-skilled professionals.

For the sake of UK plc everyone will be hoping this latest reform will finally place vocational education alongside academic progression as a pathway to a great career. n

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The Apprenticeship Levy How will it affect you?

The Apprenticeship Levy is the Government’s initiative to fund three million places for apprentices by 2020, paid for by bigger businesses. It will give you more control over designing, choosing and paying for apprenticeship training.

The funding can be used to train existing staff, or to recruit new apprentices, and for qualifications right up to degree level.

Here’s a quick guide to how the Levy will affect your business.

UNDER 50 EMPLOYEES AND A SALARY BILL LESS THAN £3m Free fully funded training Funding available to train up existing staff or recruit apprentices (even at degree level)

£1000 cash incentive for recruiting apprentices aged 16 – 18

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OVER 50 EMPLOYEES AND A SALARY BILL LESS THAN £3m Contribute 10% of total training costs Funding available to train up existing staff or recruit apprentices (even at degree level)

£1000 cash incentive for recruiting apprentices aged 16 – 18

A SALARY BILL MORE THAN £3m Contribute 0.5% of your annual salary bill into the apprenticeship levy funds Train existing staff or recruit apprentices using funds that will be in your digital account. These funds expire after 24 months.

Get more out than you put in

For every £1 that enters your digital account, you get £1.10 to spend £1000 cash incentive for recruiting apprentices aged 16 – 18

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AIMING HIGHER TO G ROW S K I L L S Pro vice-chancellor Professor John MacIntyre tells Paul Robertson how the University of Sunderland is building on a legacy of a century of learning, to ensure the city and region has the higher skills employers need for the economy to prosper

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he idea of universities getting involved in apprenticeships is a relatively new concept but it makes perfect sense to a man who began his life as an apprentice and became in his own words “an accidental academic.”

As pro vice-chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Professor John MacIntyre has played a key role in the development of academic programmes leading to Higher Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships.

It has not been without challenges, not least because some employers may need to understand how these new, higher level programmes can be delivered and benefit businesses in their sector.

“Employers are still getting used to the concept as they don’t normally see apprenticeships as a pathway to a degree,” said Prof MacIntyre. “But they can help businesses transform their performance by enhancing the skills of existing employees as well as attracting fresh talent.”

Sunderland is one of only 18 universities in the UK to receive Government funding to support its drive to increase apprenticeships across the country – largely down to the early success of a programme it began with professional global services company Accenture.

“The digital sector has been an early adopter and the first programme developed was Digital

and Technology Solutions which leads to a BSc (Hons) degree,” said Prof MacIntyre. “It has gone very well with Accenture and we now have Northumbrian Water on board as well as Geek Talent, the first local SME to engage.”

The programme was created through the Employer Ownership of Skills initiative which puts employers firmly in the driving seat when it comes to deciding the skills, competencies and knowledge required to do the job.

“Employers were saying ‘these are the skills we need’ - the digital sector got right off the blocks in writing new standards and engaging with us to deliver,” said Prof Macintyre. “The first cohort of 16 from Accenture started in September 2015 – while the second intake started last year with 26 learners from Accenture, Northumbrian Water and Geek Talent.”

From September this year a new Management and Leadership Practice, BA (Hons) Chartered Manager degree apprenticeship, designed with a range of employers and the Chartered Management Institute, will begin.

“One of the interesting points about this programme is that it is not sector specific,” said Prof MacIntyre. “It is targeted at creating the managers for the future, it is about the skills and behaviours of being a professional manager.”

The programme is delivered using a blended learning approach by experienced

tutors holding lectures, seminars, coaching, group work, computer-based learning and independent study. There is a strong element of work-based learning and project work.

All the Degree Apprenticeships have been developed to provide the core skills and competencies of the subject but with the flexibility to be tweaked to suit the needs of individual employers. However, not all sectors have been as quick as digital to embrace the opportunity.

“Engineering and manufacturing employers have been very wary and unsure,” said Prof MacIntyre. “They have tended to look more to graduate recruitment and don’t normally have a graduate development programme. In that sector a lot of employers have apprenticeships targeted at low level skills – at production operator level – so they have been interested in what we can offer but have adopted a wait and see position. It has been a big job to engage with employers in that sector.”

However, progress is being made and the University is hoping to validate a suite of three engineering degrees – manufacturing engineer, product engineer and electronic & electrical engineer – in time to recruit for the next academic year; working with the likes of the EEF, the North East Automotive Alliance and EAL, the specialist awarding organisation for industry.

Prof MacIntyre said: “This university prides itself on being outward facing, employer engaged and flexible in meeting the needs of

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industry. Think of it as a tripartite arrangement – the University and its academics, the employers and the apprentices. Our academics in digital have enjoyed teaching the students as they are really engaged and up for it, the employers are seeing the growth of their apprentices and the students are loving it.

“There is a lot of work-based learning assessment - an apprenticeship is against an employer-led standard and contextualising the skills taught in the classroom, in the workplace.

“Compared to a student coming here on a traditional career pathway, they have no student debt, fees are paid by their employer and they are earning at the same time, with the commitment of an employer investing in them.

“Since launching Degree Apprenticeships, we have had floods of individuals and many parents wanting to get their children onto the programmes, but that’s not how it works.

To be on the programme someone has to be employing you and committing you to the apprenticeship.”

It is hardly surprising Prof MacIntyre is passionate about the value of education with a heavy workplace-bias. He was an apprentice compositor at the Shields Gazette in the 1970s.

“It wasn’t a Degree Apprenticeship but it was about taking a young person and building up their skills so they became valued,” he said.

“The apprenticeships were long and it was a

big commitment from the employers. I see Degree Apprenticeships as the next logical step for vocational training – you can go and do a masters degree and even a doctorate now after an apprenticeship.

“My own experience is a very important part of my life and led to me becoming an accidental academic. The business where I worked was still using hot metal, very old technology. I was being taught the new technology but there was nowhere to deploy those skills at work. As the technology was changing I could see how the craft I was being trained for and the skills were likely to be outdated so I decided studying computing was the thing to do.”

After a short time overseas, he took a full-time night-shift job in the print works and, at what was then Sunderland Polytechnic, he spent his days doing a degree in computer science and physiology.

“I was on target for a First Class Honours degree and was asked if I wanted to do a PhD linked to industry,” said Prof Macintyre. “I did it in applied artificial intelligence, working in an engineering context with National Power at Blyth Power Station.

“I was on £6k a year and skint. The PhD allowed me to do six hours’ teaching a week so I started and loved it while doing my research.

As I came towards the end of the PhD the poly

had become a university and they asked me to stay on as an academic and I became a senior lecturer in 1996.

“So, I have been an undergraduate, doctoral, part and full time lecturer, a reader, professor, associate dean, dean and now pro vicechancellor. I was in industry before academia, I came to get better skills and a degree to get a better job in industry. The experience made me very aware of the perception of the difference between the academic and industry road to a career and I feel I have been able to bridge that gap.”

Unlike some institutions, Prof MacIntyre says the University of Sunderland celebrates its heritage and what can be achieved.

“We proudly embrace that history – it is in our DNA to be outward facing, very engaged and be a key player: not only in the development of people but in supporting innovation, enterprise, applying research, helping businesses start and grow. Making a fundamental contribution to the economic, social, cultural life of the city and region is really important for the university. Higher Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships fit the bill perfectly.”

Another good example is in the healthcare sector, where the University of Sunderland has worked with partners of many years’ standing to adapt the programmes it offers to meet the

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships at a glance: • Higher and Degree Apprenticeships are suitable for both new and existing staff • Apprentices are employees and spend most of their time in the workplace, supported by dedicated study time with the university • The programmes can be tailored to meet the needs of employers • Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and Government top-up to pay for tuition and professional fees of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships • For smaller employers, the Government pays 90%, with the remainder co-invested by the business

“

“It is in our DNA to be outward facing, very engaged and be a key player; not only in the development of people but also in supporting innovation, enterprise, applying research, helping businesses start and grow.”

demands of the NHS and the skills needs of its employees.

“There are a lot of policy changes so we have been working with the NHS Health Trusts to develop nursing degree apprenticeships,” said Prof MacIntyre. “We have run training for paramedics in the past but now there are both Higher and Degree Apprenticeships available and we have a programme of healthcare science to deliver the laboratory scientists needed for clinical settings like hospitals as well as the wider healthcare sector.”

He says continued uncertainty of how the Institute for Apprenticeships will work when it goes live, the impact of the apprenticeship levy and how it will be applied and used means a reticence among some employers to embrace the opportunities, which has been a source of frustration.

“The way funding around apprenticeships is changing and the introduction of the levy means a lot of employers are effectively seeing it as a tax and the only way they can recover that cash is through investing in apprenticeships, but that will only pay for the

training component,” said Prof MacIntyre.

“The employer still has the burden of covering the employment costs and so a lot of companies are trying to figure out the best tactics to use their pot to support developing their workforce, training their people and developing their skills needs.”

How much will be spent on the current workforce as opposed to taking on new people?

“One of our tasks is to help them understand, get employers to engage with us and figure out how Higher and Degree Apprenticeships can be part of the mechanism by which they can develop the skills they need in their business. We are ready to help them.”

Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and the Government top-up to pay for tuition and professional fees of approved apprenticeship standards such as Higher and Degree Apprenticeship programmes.

For smaller employers that do not incur the apprenticeship levy, the Government pays 90%, with the remainder co-invested by the business. Further incentives are available

for smaller businesses and organisations that employ younger apprentices or those who have formerly been in care or who have an Education and Health Care plan.

Prof MacIntyre concluded: “We are developing Higher and Degree Apprenticeships that allow greater choice for students in line with the needs of business and industry. The programmes integrate academic study with practical application in the workplace and can lead to a Higher Education certificate, diploma or degree and professional accreditation or membership.

“Sunderland and the nature of this university, going back over 100 years, has always been about delivering the educational needs of the people and to support the economy of the city and the region. Whether it is training teachers, pharmacists or engineers, we have a long history of delivering the region’s skills needs.

“If the employer is setting out the agenda and we can work with them to meet the standard and needs then this university is committed to it – as long as there is the demand to make it viable.” n

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The source of apprenticeships How a North East University is collaborating with businesses on apprenticeships to deliver the higher-level skills that companies need to prosper

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sk Professor Alastair Irons how it is that the University of Sunderland was able to so quickly mobilise its Higher and Degree Apprentices after the Government announced a £4.5m fund to develop new apprenticeships and he’ll tell you it’s: “Because we’ve been collaborating with businesses for years, aligning what and how we teach to the current and future needs of employers.”

The Academic Dean in the University of Sunderland’s Faculty of Computer Science has

built strong relationships with regional business and public sector partners and is committed to helping them meet their skills needs to enable growth; and in turn increase the number of higher level jobs available to graduates.

In 2016, Sunderland was one of only 18 universities to receive a share of the £4.5m Government funding to develop its range of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships and provide much-needed skills for business and industry. And with outdated perceptions of

A HISTORY OF INDUSTRY COLLABORATION With an established track record for collaborating with businesses, the University of Sunderland is ideally placed to be one of the first to market with higher and degree apprenticeships. In fact, the very first ‘Sandwich’ Degree in the UK was developed in the 1950s in Sunderland, in Engineering, and what is now the University has been at the forefront of educating pharmacists for 100 years.

And the North East University, which also has a campus in London and recently opened another in Hong Kong, has a long and proud history of working with business and industry to support them in a range of ways. By

adapting courses to the needs of industry it has been developing graduates with the career-ready skills, confidence and contacts to make them stand out to employers for many years - that’s why 94% of its graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduating.

FUNDING With the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy due to start in April 2017, now is definitely the time for employers to think about taking on apprentices. There are different ways for the employer to fund the costs of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, which may include levies already paid by the

employer to Government, or specific funding opportunities. Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and the Government top-up to pay for tuition and professional fees of approved apprenticeship standards such as higher and degree apprenticeship programmes.

For smaller employers that do not incur the apprenticeship levy, the Government pays 90%, with the remainder co-invested by the business. Further incentives are available for smaller businesses and organisations that employ younger apprentices – it’s worth talking to higher-level training providers such as the University of Sunderland, about the options, and opportunities.

“

“There’s a rigorous selection process and staff are advised how tough it’s going to be”

vocational training still prevalent, the funding was also designed to strengthen the reputation of on-the-job training, by raising standards and creating more high-quality opportunities for young people and adults from all backgrounds.

Professor Irons continues: “We began with our BSc (Hons) digital and technology solutions degree apprenticeship, which we developed in collaboration with Accenture - one of the world’s leading management consulting and technology services companies - who needed more skilled staff to keep pace with their growth ambitions. Developing the degree apprenticeship programme built on our longterm relationship with the team there. And since launching, we’re now delivering the same programme to employees of national supplier Northumbrian Water and micro-business Geek Talent.

“The BSc (Hons) digital and technology solutions programme has a very strong element of work-based learning and project work, which allows the apprentices to integrate and apply their new skills and knowledge in a work environment. The degree allows staff to specialise in software engineering, gain a higher-level qualification, progress their career and still be an employee. Naturally competition is high - there’s a rigorous selection process and staff are advised how tough it’s going to be.”

Following on from this initial success, the university recently announced its extended Higher and Degree Apprenticeships programme, which includes a new BA (Hons) management and leadership practice, chartered manager programme that will help businesses to improve the leadership and management skills of their workforce.

During an event in January 2017, attended

by HRH The Duke of York, the University shared the benefits to employers of building higher-level skills. Apprentices attend university while also being employed full time. The result is staff trained to degree-level in specific core skills, who gain the technical knowledge and behaviours that employers need to succeed. n

Karen Marshall, apprentice, education and engagement lead at Accenture shared the reasons for developing a degree apprenticeship and her experience of working with the University of Sunderland…

At Accenture we knew that we wanted to develop an apprenticeship programme. We thought it was really important to encourage as many young people as possible to work in the digital and tech industry and to have the opportunity of working in a massive global company like Accenture.

We knew we would need really highly-skilled young people and the best offer at the time was to give them the chance to do a degree. We looked around and we knew that the University of Sunderland were developing the latest degree apprenticeships. We also knew that they would work with us to make sure that the degree was designed to fit our business needs and to make sure that we could give the young people the best possible opportunity to be able to work and progress in Accenture.

Accenture is a growing global business and here at the Newcastle Delivery Centre we had tripled in size in five years and were continuing to grow. Being a global company we advertise vacancies and receive applications from all over the world, but we really wanted more local young talent to have this opportunity to work with us. It’s a very important part of Accenture’s work, to reach out into the community where we work and live to give as many young people the opportunity to develop skilled careers. With the North East having high levels of young people not in employment or education or training we knew that there was definitely a talent pool that we could probably tap into and we felt that by offering degree apprenticeships we could really give young people the opportunity to compete shoulder-to-shoulder with any of our graduate recruits or any of our existing experienced hires.

We’ve worked really hard with the University of Sunderland, and with our capability leads and line managers, to make sure that we developed a flexible but really applicable degree programme that will ensure our degree apprentices are able to hit the ground running.

We want our apprentices to be able to complete work in all of the different projects that we have, so we’ve spent a lot of time making sure that the academic side is appropriate and will help them function in the workplace and they can see the relevance and application of their learning in the workplace.

We see a huge growth in the apprentices from day one right through to the end of their third year with us. You can definitely see the growth in their confidence. Last year we had 33 of our apprentices graduate and move into permanent roles at Accenture and within six months another three of those young people had been promoted again to a higher role, which is almost unheard of for any other type of graduate. So we are really, really pleased with the success of the programme and how it’s helping our members of staff develop and grow into more senior roles.

We have noticed the maturity that studying alongside working brings to the apprentices.

They come to us fresh with ideas, their academic learning is then transferred into the workplace and we really benefit from that and many of them progress and go on to become leaders of their teams. They really enhance the work that we do. www.sunderland.ac.uk/apprenticeships E: apprenticeships@sunderland.ac.uk T: 0191 515 3555

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UNITED in developing Tees Valley’s skills Teesside University is already delivering a wide range of apprenticeships with many more in the pipeline. Head of skills Dr Ruth Helyer explains to Paul Robertson how partnership working is vital to their continued success

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nderstanding the needs of employers has been fundamental to the development of apprenticeship programmes at Teesside University.

Strong partnerships with business and other education providers across the Tees Valley has put the university in an excellent position whether it be through existing provision or the relatively new area of Degree and Higher Apprenticeships.

For Head of skills Dr Ruth Helyer preparing students for the workforce is the cornerstone of everything the university does.

“Employees need to be resilient and adaptable to thrive in a fast moving, frequently changing, environment,” says Dr Helyer. “These skills are as important as their job specific skills and are embedded in all of Teesside University’s degree programmes.

“We need to continue to work closely with our business partners, be aware of developments within sectors, to respond to and anticipate skills needs, and to increase our opportunities to exchange staff and knowledge in a mutually supportive learning environment, between university and the workplace.

“Teesside University is developing a broad-based portfolio of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in line with our Strategy 2020 and in consultation with employers and Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), to address skills gaps in key sectors, such as digital/creative, business, health, manufacturing, the

process industries and engineering.

“The university is built upon six academic schools where academic experts develop their sector specific theoretical expertise. Many of our lecturers are also workplace practitioners with recent, and often on-going, industry experience.

“We work closely with the Tees Valley Combined Authority and our partner FE colleges within the Tees Valley to ensure a coherent and expedient joint strategy around Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.

“This is vital in order to offer employers and employees both a varied and wide provision, appropriate to their needs, but also a route to educational progression from the entry levels of apprenticeships – potentially right up to level 8 (the equivalent of a doctorate).

“Many of our engineering candidates, for example, undertake higher national qualifications with FE partners before progressing to the university to complete a degree top-up. This presents an ideal pathway for advancing through the stages of an apprenticeship.”

The university’s School of Science and Engineering is currently running several Degree Apprenticeships – chosen to fulfil what industry require. The laboratory scientist degree apprenticeship, including the BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, has p roved extremely popular, and from October 2017 will also be available

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mapped to several other degree options including chemistry, biomedical science, forensic biology and forensic science.

The school is also offering the embedded electronic systems design and development engineer degree apprenticeship for 2017 enrolment and writing new degrees that will fulfil different apprenticeship standards.

“Some of our most popular Degree Apprenticeship developments are around expertise that crosses many sectors, for example leadership and management or digital skills,” said Dr Helyer.

“Teesside University Business School is leading on the provision of leadership and management skills with its brand new degree – the BA in Management Practice. This degree is truly work-based, with assessments that use the apprentices’ real work practice to bring context to the module topics; it fulfils all the outcomes of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship and is proving extremely popular with businesses of all shapes, sizes and types – from large corporates to SMEs covering the private, public and third sector. The CMI, a high profile professional membership body, support and promote all aspects of this apprenticeship.

“Similarly, our School of Computing has created a new degree to perfectly complement the skills, knowledges and behaviours required to fulfil the technology solutions professional degree apprenticeship. Once again this opportunity has attracted a wide variety of companies all of whom are keen to have an apprentice who can take their business forward with cutting edge digital skills. This apprenticeship allows for a specialism to be undertaken and from September 2017 we will be offering web engineering which is proving very popular with company partners.

“The Tech Partnership fully endorse and promote this apprenticeship and Teesside staff worked closely with them to ensure the new degree fulfilled the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship standard and is in-line with what the market demands.”

Dr Helyer says Degree Apprenticeships open up new opportunity not only to those learners who traditionally consider university but also to more mature students looking to upskill.

“Apprenticeships may well attract a different kind of student, who maybe wouldn’t have

considered full-time university, so this is a great way to widen access to the many advantages of studying at HE level,” said Dr Helyer. “As well as this, apprentices can be any age, and can even already have an existing qualification at the same, even a higher level - so long as the new study is developing discernibly different knowledge and skills. This provides employers with an unparalleled opportunity to upskill existing staff as well as new ones.

“Apprentices are employed, but they also study and train to become more developed in ways that help them in their job role. They study or train for 20% of their working week and must be employed for at least 30 hours in total.

“One of the great benefits to both apprentices, and sometimes their parents, is that all fees are paid by a combination of government and employer funding, so the apprentice does not need to take on any student loans but instead can earn at HE level while they learn.

“They finish their degree studies, and period as an apprentice, as an employee, not a newly qualified graduate who has to then contend with an increasingly competitive jobs market.

“Apprenticeships utilise work-based learning - they acknowledge that not all knowledge resides in books – but is also emergent and manifesting itself within real life activity, including workplaces, all of the time; individuals learn from undertaking their day-to-day work roles.

“Some educationalists find this a threat to how they may have always considered knowledge to be produced and held (usually within the academy) whilst others embrace the flexibility, relevance, applicability and

innovation this view of knowledge and learning processes offers.

“As well as working with business, Teesside University also has acknowledged expertise in work-based learning – still a relatively niche skill in UK HE provision but quite vital to the apprenticeships agenda.

“The University already understands how individuals learn from doing their jobs and can therefore efficiently facilitate them through the articulation of this learning. The modules on Degree Apprenticeships utilise work-based learning methodologies – and indeed without this it would be very difficult to genuinely ‘fit’ an entire degree within the apprenticeship, timeframe and experience.

“In addition to having the apprentice in their workplace for most of the working week, and having a good deal of opportunity to influence that individual’s development and usefulness to the company, employers can also influence the content of real work-based projects and not just hypothetical case studies.

“This gives employers access to the vast knowledge resources of a university and can transform a workplace project into something much more sophisticated and useful, with wider and deeper research perhaps and a formalised report and often a presentation.

“If employees are part of a mixed cohort, that is, with apprentices from different companies, even different sectors, this can lead to exceptional networking opportunities. There are also, however, many logistical benefits to all apprentices being from the same company – as this can make it economically viable for the trainers to travel to them, delivering learning at their workplace.”

Historically much criticism has been

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“We are always eager to make new business relationships and this agenda has already presented us with some exciting opportunities”

aimed at new graduates, with regard to their employability skills by employers, but Dr Helyer says this route to higher-level skills allows the employer to really be in the driving seat and very influential around how their employees behave and perform.

“Teesside University delivers a wide range of apprenticeships, with lots more in development,” she says. “We have been working closely with business partners for many years and to us this is just another way to provide them with the training they need and ask for.

“We are always eager to make new business relationships and this agenda has already presented us with some exciting opportunities to work with companies we had not worked with before.

“We are also keen to explore new territory and have followed this up by becoming members of several key Trailblazer groups.

These employer-led groups create new apprenticeship standards that don’t already exist but have a proven demand. Being involved at the early stages of such developments helps us to keep our programmes totally up to date and attuned to what industry really needs.”

One of the big changes to the skills landscape is the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and how it works will determine the shape of workplace training for years to come. Dr Helyer hopes more companies will become involved in creating, top class apprenticeship opportunities.

“Smaller, non-levy paying companies are still able to access generous government funding for apprenticeship training of 90%,” says Dr Helyer. “This offers a good opportunity to up-skill their employees, especially as this is work-based learning and should be built around the apprentice’s job. The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has suggested that by 2018 a system will be implemented allowing levy payers to transfer up to 10% of their levy to employers in their supply chain.

“The Government’s new funding rules and new Digital Apprenticeships Service have not been tested out yet, these need to run smoothly and supportively, with good channels

of communication.

“Speedy and adequate systems need to be in place to cope with the on-going creation of new apprenticeship standards. The current Trailblazer system should be evaluated to ensure that it is agile and fit for purpose.

“Employers need help in understanding how the new apprenticeship system will work, as well as the policy intent. Particular assistance might be required around the funding system. More promotion of the range of apprenticeships now available would be useful, and re-iteration of some of the new rules – for example allowing apprentices to be any age and existing staff, and allowing those with existing qualifications to study a different subject at the same, even lower level, and still be funded – may well not be widely digested.”

Dr Helyer says Teesside University is well placed to support the changes. “We have a long-established reputation for working successfully with business and we are already well ahead of most other universities. We are very happy to talk to companies and help them in any way we can; this applies to both existing and new relationships. We are particularly interested to hear what apprenticeship standards they would like to see.

“We are an SFA approved and funded ‘Lead Provider’ of degree and higher apprenticeships and are ‘putting our money where our mouth is’ by sponsoring many of our own university staff to undertake apprenticeships. As a levy payer, we have taken the time to understand what this means and are more than happy to share our understanding with business contacts.

“Teesside University has an enviable reputation for its business engagement: we put a strong emphasis on making sure the University’s knowledge and academic excellence contribute to regional and national economic, social, and cultural development.

We see Degree Apprenticeships, which are founded on strong university-business relationships, as a vital part of our role in developing the skills and knowledge for economic success.” n

Dr Ruth Helyer is head of skills at Teesside University and is currently leading on the University’s approach to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.

Dr Ruth Helyer is an internationally recognised work-based learning specialist and National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with particular interests in graduate employability, contemporary workforce issues and HE employer engagement.

Her books, The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook (Palgrave 2015, 2nd edition) and Facilitating Work-Based Learning: a Handbook for Tutors (Palgrave 2016), are acknowledged as leading texts in this field.

She has published widely, focusing on higher education and business interaction, in a range of international peer reviewed journals, including Higher Education Quarterly; Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning; Education + Training; and the International Journal of Training and Development. She is Editor in Chief of the peer-reviewed journals, Higher Education Skills and Work-based Learning (HESWBL) and the Journal of Work-Applied Management (JWAM). Ruth began her academic career in English literature and has also published widely in this field.

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Health Assistant Practitioner

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships at Teesside CURRENTLY AVAILABLE Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Digital and Technology Solutions (Web Engineering) Degree Apprenticeship Embedded Electronic Systems Design Engineer Degree Apprenticeship Health Assistant Practitioner Higher Apprenticeship Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship COMING SOON Manufacturing Engineer (automotive) Control/Technical Support Engineer (automotive) Electrical/Electronic Support Engineer Nursing Associate

Laboratory Scientist

The Health Assistant Practitioner Higher Apprenticeship has been developed to meet the needs of the health profession. The 150 students currently enrolled on the apprenticeship are employed in both the NHS and the independent sector. They will receive a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care Practice when they qualify.

The course has been designed for employees who work in healthcare alongside a registered practitioner.

Most of the study is work-based, with the equivalent of 20% of the working week dedicated to learning at University.

Linda Nelson, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement) in Teesside University’s School of Health & Social Care, said: “Once students have completed the Higher Apprenticeship they can progress on to a pre-registration professional programme and their previous learning is recognised. Examples include Nursing, Radiography and Operating Department Practice.

“The feedback has been extremely positive. The course is really helping them make the link between theory and practice.”

The University has developed a range of programmes combining an honours or foundation degree with workplace experience and skills.

The Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship took on its first cohort of students in September 2016, in quick response to the skills demands of two large North East employers, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and Fujifilm Diosynth Technologies.

The programme is based on four strands - Analytical Science, Chemical Science, Research & Development and Life Sciences. The Life Sciences strand was adapted to fit the work-based learning needs of the two companies.

The programme is led by Dr Garry Weeks, Head of Department (Sciences) in the School of Science & Technology at Teesside University.

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship

From May 2017, Teesside University Business School is offering the prestigious Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA), which awards learners the BA (Hons) Management Practice along with membership of the Chartered Management Institute - the highest possible accreditation in the management profession.

Dr Gill Owens, CMDA programme leader, said: ‘A lot of thought went into the design of the CMDA to ensure it suited and matched the needs of the working learner.

“In addition to the core elements of the course, apprentices complete the personal effectiveness module which focuses on the individual impact of the learner on their organisation and co-workers in terms of the learning they take back to the workplace.

“Reciprocal learning is also a very important aspect to the course, as each learner brings very different knowledge and experience which they share with the group.”

Employees from a number of large employers in the North East are among the first cohort starting in May 2017 – including a number of Teesside University staff, funded in part from its apprenticeship levy account.

A second closed cohort will begin in September, tailored specifically to the needs of PD Ports which has enrolled 12 members of staff onto the programme.

For more information contact businessschool@tees.ac.uk or telephone 01642 342312

Digital and Technology Solutions (Web Engineering) The Digital and Technology Solutions (Web Engineering) Degree Apprenticeship has been developed by Teesside University with significant industry input to address a pressing skills shortage.

The course will develop web engineers who can define, design, build and test high-quality, web-centric software solutions following best practice and industry standards.

To ensure the apprenticeship fulfils the web engineering requirements of the computer industry, the University set up a working group to influence the course design.

Siobhan Fenton, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement) in the School of Computing said: “In order to design the most industry-relevant degree programme possible, it is vital that we take into account the requirements of potential employers.

“In this manner we can tailor the delivery of the academic programme to meet the specific needs of employers.

“We want companies to influence the experience their apprentices have on the course, and help create the curriculum.”

The apprenticeship is led by Barry Hebbron, who is just one of the University’s academics with many years of invaluable experience working with businesses, developing a firm understanding of the skills businesses require to move forward and grow.

The first cohort of the Digital and Technology Solutions (Web Engineering) Degree Apprenticeship will start in September 2017.

LIVE DEBATE

THE VOICE FOR BUSINESS DEBATE The issue: “H​ow will the apprenticeship levy impact on and support apprenticeships across the region and what more needs to be done to ensure all businesses can take advantage of the opportunities that the levy creates?”

How apprenticeships are funded, structured and delivered is undergoing fundamental reform. They are being introduced as we go to print yet there is still some confusion, uncertainty and a lack of awareness among many stakeholders as to what it all means.

BQ gathered some experts around the table to shed light on the changes, to debate what can be done to ensure everyone makes the most of the opportunities available, as well as set out some of the challenges and barriers, perceived or otherwise, particularly in the SME community.

There was an appetite around the table for employees to take full advantage of the new Higher and Degree Apprenticeships to help close the skills gap but concern that non-levy payers still don’t know how they can access funds.

The main message to come from the debate was the need for greater collaboration between higher education, further education, training providers and employers – with more

effective support from Government and the Local Enterprise Partnerships – as the way for the region to create jobs, upskill, innovate and make the most of talent of all ages.

BQ chair Caroline Theobald asked participants, a mixture of guests from the world of academia and industry, to introduce themselves and give examples of what they and their organisations do, or will be doing, around apprenticeships.

Tricia Mullen, group training manager at construction company Esh opened the debate by explaining how the levy may impact on its approach. “When I started, we made a commitment to recruit 150 apprentices over three years, we have exceeded that target with 180,” she said. “We currently have 108 live apprentices across the group in nearly every function – from bricklayers to quantity surveyors and everything in-between. I am particularly passionate about apprenticeships and I know the benefits that they can bring to businesses. I have some concerns about the

apprenticeship levy simply because we already pay a Levy to CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) which works fantastically well for us – it supports all the training we undertake. We spent £700,000 on mandatory training plus £100,000 on FE/HE training in addition to our apprentices. We have no issue with paying a levy but we are now going to get hit twice and I don’t think it will make us take on more apprentices – we will have to manipulate it so we convert existing positions into apprentices to recoup some of that investment.”

Dr Ruth Helyer, head of skills at Teesside University said: “We have always been a university which believes in workplace learning – it is not just about lectures and seminars but about learning in the workplace then contextualising it in higher education, which is an appropriate thing to do for the 21st Century, where people need to be resilient, adaptable and all the things they can pick up from work experience. Teesside University is

enjoying getting involved in apprenticeships and as a big employer who will be paying the levy ourselves we are looking at that as an opportunity. People will try and convert existing programmes which is an interesting slant on the Government target for 3 million apprentices by the end of this Parliament.”

For Frances Hoy, HR manager at plastics car part manufacturer Nifco, it is about encouraging anybody and everybody to do training. “We are growing our business to the point where we need skills that are becoming more technical. We are relatively new when it comes to formal apprenticeships. We have been established for 50 years but just started taking on apprentices through the formal route five years ago, though we have always trained and banged the drum for skills. The majority of our senior managers came through the apprenticeship route, so it is close to our hearts.”

With around 30 current apprentices, she said the company was near saturation point so had to tailor the number taken on with the support they can give but she said the levy could have a positive impact. “We will be repackaging due to the levy and we are looking forward to it,” she said. “It can help join up the training. Some of our trainers, our engineers, are due to retire so we need to attack skills from all different angles. If anyone wants some training they can have it.”

Professor Alastair Irons, academic dean, Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Sunderland, has been involved in setting up the first Degree Apprenticeships at the University. “I think it is a wonderful opportunity to see how the learners engage differently to our long course learners, so we as academics are learning a lot,” he said. “Having a job, having a life and learning – it is pretty intense so we need to look at the pathways for these young people and how we can support them both academically and from an employer perspective. Pastoral and mentor support is one of the key things to come out of academics and employers working together.

There are many challenges. One of the biggest is to make it easier for businesses to engage with universities and other providers. I do have concerns with the levy that employers see it as a tax and not as a benefit. It is something they are being punished for and paying for. Putting that aside, how do we ensure employers get their money’s worth and understand the

Taking part...

Suzanne McCreedy, National Services Director BE Group Tricia Mullen, Group Training Manager ESH Claire Atkins, HR Director Muckle LLP Michael Lemin, Policy and Research Manager NCFE

concept that apprenticeships move through the different levels of learning right up to doctoral level? It is fascinating to be involved, working closely with employers in the design and development of new programmes has been reinvigorating.”

Awarding organisation NCFE designs and delivers qualifications. Policy and research manager Michael Lemin said one of the biggest challenges is the huge structural changes to apprenticeships. “The levy is a tax – there is no choice but to pay it – and I think the way apprenticeships are defined will change as a result. There will be much more emphasis on higher level apprenticeships and we will see existing staff doing training. What worries me is that there will be far fewer of what are seen as traditional apprentices, those who are 16-18 year old learners. The 3 million target is very arbitrary and unhelpful. If you design a high quality system that learners want to be actively part of you should never have to worry about the numbers coming through.”

Head of service facilities in the North East at global engineering business Siemens, Mark Armstrong said the success of its scheme was not replicated in many other sectors, which is something that needs addressing. “I am an apprentice, I served my time 38 years ago and I am with the same business today. Our whole senior management team is made up of former apprentices, our whole business is based on apprentices. Siemens nationally has about 600 apprentices, in the region we have about 80. We have just been through OFSTED as a training provider and we got outstanding in all areas so we are proud of that. What we do, we do well and we have a 100% retention rate. The model we have is fantastic, but apprenticeships

Lynsey Whitehead, Director of Apprenticeships and Business Partnerships Newcastle College Frances Hoy, HR Manager Nifco Sue Graham, Head of Partnerships and Local Growth Northumbria University Mark Armstrong, Head of Service Facilities Siemens Dr Ruth Helyer, Head of Skills Teesside University Laura Woods, Director of The Forge Teesside University Professor Alastair Irons, Academic Dean, Faculty of Computer Science University of Sunderland Dr Amanda West, Head of Academic Programme Development University of Sunderland David Armstrong, Apprenticeship Manager Utilitywise Melissa Gardiner, Head of Quality and Compliance KF Training IN THE CHAIR: Caroline Theobald, Chair, BQ Live Debates TAKING NOTES: Paul Robertson, Editor, BQ North East and Cumbria VENUE: Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa, Carrville, Durham, DH1 1TD

BQ is highly regarded as a leading independent commentator on business issues, many of which have a bearing on the current and future success of the UK economy. BQ Live is a series of informative debates designed to further contribute to the success and prosperity of the economy through the debate, discussion and feedback of a range of key business topics and issues.

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is a dirty word that has been tarnished by other sectors in terms of what they are and there is a massive challenge in promoting apprenticeships at different levels.

“Ingenuity for Life is our strapline – that is starting people on a pathway to life, to go on holiday, buy a house, have a family and we have a social factor in terms of what we do.

The legacy is a sustainable business because we have grown our own people and developed the business around them. The Government is taking the levy off us tomorrow but nothing is up and running yet but from an opportunity point of view, I think universities are going to get a lot of the more mature workers coming through the door to become an apprentice.

You need training and development in all areas – we can train our teams to now obtain a degree. You are never too old to learn.”

Sue Graham, head of partnerships and local growth at Northumbria University, said: “We have always run part-time, work-based, demand led programmes for employers so for us it is looking at this as another way of funding and organising the work we do. Employers are coming to us asking how they can use their levy – it is a bit of a discovery journey for all of us.

“Apprenticeships will come in all shapes and sizes for all ages, it is fundamentally different.

We can now talk about a postgraduate management programme as an apprenticeship – you are learning at different stages of your career. A challenge is SMEs and non-levy payers, how do we reach them? How do they access the pot because it could be a powerful way to support economic growth in the region? It has lots of potential but concerns for us are around traditional graduate recruitment, are employers going to take their own and grow them from age 18? But overall the benefits are massive for all providers.”

Muckle LLP will be taking on their first two solicitor apprentices from September and HR director, Claire Atkins said the levy hadn’t influenced the company’s approach.

“We have recruited business support apprentices for years – we have five or six in the business at the minute – and we recruited an IT apprentice for the first time last year.”

The solicitor apprenticeships will be a six-year course. After four years they will get their law degree then after another two qualify as a solicitor. “We are really excited about it,” said Claire. “Muckle has been trying to get it off the

“

“Apprenticeships is a dirty word that has been tarnished and there is a massive challenge in promoting apprenticeships at different levels”

ground for a few years and we are so pleased it has come to fruition. We are also working with another four law firms as a consortium NESA (North East Solicitor Apprenticeships).

Three are levy payers, two not. It is the first time we have worked together collaboratively.

We have had 90 applications from a diverse group of people, of all ages, who saw this as an opportunity to get a foot in the door, people looking for a career change, those doing a law degree or a different degree seeing this as an opportunity to get into law – earning, while working and getting that work experience which clearly has attracted them. We would have done that without the levy and the challenges around it are, have we got the right training providers supporting us?”

Melissa Gardiner, head of quality and compliance KF Training, said it had positioned itself to take advantage of the new approach.

“About two years ago we recognised training providers weren’t really giving employers what they were looking for. It was more a bums on seat approach when it should have been based on skills so we bucked that trend and started developing employer-led programmes, all skills and solutions focused. We feel we are ahead of the curve when it comes to the levy and see it as a real chance to work and collaborate even more closely with employers. We are ready to look at skills programmes rather than traditional apprenticeships. I agree apprenticeships have

been seen as a dirty word, which is one of the reasons the levy has been introduced – to drive up the skills. The funding is now in employers’ hands and in terms of quality there is a real challenge to drive it up across industry. How do we maintain the quality within this new provision?”

Like others around the table, Lynsey Whitehead, director of apprenticeships and business partnerships at Newcastle College, is a former apprentice and is concerned at the sustainability of the changes being introduced.

“The reforms are not just about the levy – they are vast. We have been preparing by restructuring the team, particularly around curriculum development. SME is a concern, there is a definite perception that there is going to be levy investment fund left to support SMEs after the next two years. Government only secured it for two years and I am not sure that fund is going to be there so what are we going to do to support SMEs and other nonlevy payers long-term?”

David Armstrong apprenticeship manager at energy consultancy company Utilitywise, sees the levy as a chance to transform its approach to apprenticeships and resolve issues caused partly by the company’s rapid expansion. “We had 12 apprentices start in April last year which is down to four,” he said. “We are hoping to enrol 40 soon and are looking to utilise the Government funding, how it will work for us

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and support us. We are really excited by the opportunity of the levy. Our retention rates are poor. Feedback from staff has been that they don’t feel invested in, they haven’t been given the training and development support within their roles. We see this is an opportunity for us to support our staff, to have careers. I agree there is a misconception that apprenticeships are for 16 and 18 year olds, the level of salary and so on. It is a re-education. We want to bring in local staff and retain them.”

Finding ways of engaging and collaborating with business is key to the success of higher level apprentices says Dr Amanda West, head of academic programme development at the University of Sunderland. “Our strapline is lifechanging and in terms of the type of students that come to us, a really high number are not traditional, with a higher education background. In terms of apprenticeships this is a really interesting time for us, because we can build on the work we are already doing. As well as the learners we hope will be coming to us, we are already engaged with business – it is about how we can pull together the academic work we do with the work we do with business anyway. I am your traditional academic so this is instructive for me. I have only had a year out of education working for a housing association so I have never left the public sector. I am now based in the enterprise and innovation unit. It is like people talking a different language but it is incredibly exciting. I am bought into the idea of developing skills and addressing the low levels of productivity in the UK and North East.”

Suzanne McCreedy national services director at BE Group said: “We support all sorts of organisations, developing business information, events and business development programmes so I am really interested in finding out what

everyone thinks of the levy and understanding the key messages we need support with in terms of employer engagement. We are an employee owned organisation so we invest heavily in training. We’re in the Times Top 100 for businesses to work for and as a SME we are going to be paying the levy, so we want to work out how to use that investment within the organisation and make a difference to the bottom line.”

Laura Woods, director of The Forge, Teesside University, said: “Forge is Teesside University’s front door for business and the concept behind that is business can get access to the resources and the expertise of the university just by coming to us. We are the mediators, our agenda covers everything from innovation, talent, skills, start-ups, digital start-ups as well as Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, which is really exciting for us. We pride ourselves on working with business and this will help develop long lasting relationships with employers. We have five apprenticeships on the go and another five starting in September.

There is a fear that Degree Apprenticeships might take the place of degree students but the way to look at it is we are growing opportunities, and not just for young people.

It is just as important to develop people already in work. I have also got a son who is an engineering apprentice, who found this mid-career as a new route to career satisfaction and is really enjoying it so I wholeheartedly recommend it.”

Laura believes a critical issue is how are the SMEs, non-levy payers, going to engage with the reforms and how providers can support them.

Chair Caroline Theobald said the collaboration of the law firms was a great

example of best practice engaging SMEs. Claire Atkins explained: “The great thing about us all working together is we have all got different experiences – it means we are reducing workload rather than repeating work. When the apprentices start they will have a peer group to work together. Once a month they will go to London together, and once a quarter we will all take a lead on a training initiative.

We want all the apprentices to have the same opportunities, regardless of which partner they are working for and what area of law they are practising so we get some consistency. We are looking at a training matrix which I started drafting and thought it might be useful for all the firms participating. For example, we send our newly qualified solicitors on a networking course and I have asked those who run it what they can do for the apprentices. I don’t think we can get money from the levy, but we have done things like shared contract of employment, offer letters and looked at ways to help each other.”

David Armstrong believes such an example will help other businesses in other sectors. He said: “We have had a lack of knowledge and understanding of what an apprenticeship is.

We took apprentices on because we thought it was the done thing to do but didn’t have any plans or processes in place to manage them so the engagement wasn’t there which resulted in a fall off. Since being in post I am making sure that support and guidance is there for them to make the most of the apprenticeship experience.”

The Esh approach has been to work very closely with its supply chain. Tricia Mullen said: “We put the majority of our apprentices with our supply chain and our subcontractors. They are employed by us but we do this as standard

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practice with hand-picked subcontractors who have a proven track record of mentoring.

It is important so you don’t get that dropout rate. The first year is really challenging and the person who arrives on the first day is completely different to what you get at the end. We offer the support and intervention so if an apprentice is becoming disengaged we try and put our arm around them, see them, speak to their parents because it is important to remember they are kids.”

Alastair Irons said understanding that role is important. “It is the glue which joins everything together. We find the expectations of employers who haven’t had apprentices before is different, we must signpost them and re-educate them on how to support apprentices.” Tricia added: “When I first came into the business those being interviewed for things like quantity surveying were having complex mathematical questions thrown at them because they wanted to put them on the spot. They should have been asking which football team do you support? What do you do on the weekend? Do you have brothers and sisters? – You have to be much softer because they are not fully formed.”

Nifco has won numerous awards for its approach to apprenticeships and training programmes. Frances Hoy said employers needed to engage at every level to promote the vocational route. “We are willing to bring small companies on site via the North East England Chamber, any agency with schools and colleges, cadets, the High Force charity, universities – it is a jigsaw puzzle

from the schools to companies, educating them about apprenticeships. We use our apprentices as ambassadors and open our doors to show visitors we are in a clean, modern manufacturing environment. We are also involved in Trailblazers, we need plastics technicians – the trainers are few and far between and due to retire so we are setting the standard, training the trainer and providing more support.”

Mark Armstrong said: “We weren’t getting the quality we wanted so we brought the apprenticeship programme in house. They go to college, then come and do their skills on site. You want to make sure they are employable and sustainable as it is a massive investment. You need a quality product to come out the other end. We offer the same service to our supply chain – we don’t promote Siemens we promote engineering. We go into schools, the STEM ambassadors are the apprentices who talk to young kids as we try to create a network of enthusiasm for engineering that will support the SMEs, ourselves and growth in the region. An apprenticeship is a competency based training programme – what we should be looking at is what this looks like to get the end product. Nurturing is important, we have someone who plays that role, but an apprentice can be any age.”

Lynsey Whitehead said: “We have longstanding relationships with a lot of SMEs who are non-levy payers because we have done apprenticeships for so long. In terms of new relationships, we are trying to advise them – the feedback is it has been like a Timeshare

sale with providers coming from all sides – so this advisory approach seems to be working.”

She shared an example of collaboration with SME Quantum Brickwork. “Apprentices need a CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card to allow them to work on-site from day one and we didn’t offer that in the past,” said Lynsey. “It is vital so now we do – the cost of £55 is quite significant to a one-person micro business. It was a quick win for us and a massive help for them to include that in our delivery.”

More needs to be done to understand the needs of the smaller businesses said Michael Lemin. “It feels to me when Government talks about employers they mean the big employers.

So often apprentices are showcased from the big companies. The non-levy paying SMEs are at a massive disadvantage. Inevitably the competencies are being designed by the bigger employers and they are not always fit for purpose for the smaller employers.”

Sue Graham said: “We need to invest in the existing workforce, there is a real leadership and management deficit in the North East and that is a real area of opportunity. We are bringing critical thinking, problem solving, real high level skills through graduate apprenticeships. What knowledge can they apply and develop? Tricia Mullen returned to the example of Quantum Brickwork. “They could have got £10,500 for taking on an apprentice and got a card through the CITB. Small employers are not aware that they can access all the things we can.” Laura Woods believes no-one should under estimate the task. “It is important we all communicate with employers to advise them of the options

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but it is a huge amount of work. People in our organisations have to understand how it works, not just go out and do the hard sell, but give the advice and support.” Sue Graham agreed and again pointed to the benefits of collaboration and flexibility. “Working on the software engineering degree, some of the small companies don’t do some of the things on the standards, so we have had to find a way of working with bigger employers, who have been very generous, there is a kind of grouping consortium needed to ensure they get the full range. Some of it we have had to teach in the university as they cannot do it in their workplace. It is about sharing good practice and jointly using resources.”

Ruth Helyer said: “Some of the smaller businesses are really specialised so the higherlevel programmes may well suit them. You can pay to get up to a doctorate in apprenticeships which you have never been able to do in the past – that could be a great thing for a SME which could make a big difference to that company. An apprenticeship should take up 20% of that person’s working life which is a real commitment for a SME, which might they be prepared to let someone do that for the higher skills.” Frances Hoy warned. “They are asking for 20% of the job for a 10% contribution from SMEs which is a big ask – they need to see the benefits.”

There was some discussion as to the benefits of using the levy to design and deliver more in-house training programmes rather than from other providers but the consensus was using a specialist training provider was advisable in most cases.

Suzanne McCreedy said: “We handle 50,000 calls a year – the debate has proved useful in how we can support them with the levy. Every business is different with different questions and it is trying to understand how to pull useful information together to give them options which is the best route for them.”

There were opportunities for collaboration, especially around higher skills, even if a company does its training in house said Mark Armstrong. “I just need two people to do a Degree Apprenticeship in project management, it is not a full class at that level so collaborating is something that would help us and in turn could help SMEs. We are not competing when it comes to project management and digitalisation so how we can pull that together?

Ruth Helyer said: “A mixed cohort get a lot from each other in non-competitive scenarios

“

“We need to invest in the existing workforce, there is a real leadership and management deficit in the North East”

where they are all learning in areas like leadership and management. Watching them from different sectors learn off each other is fantastic but it is hard to manufacture it.”

Alastair Irons said: “If we were to build a cohort of ones and twos from SMES we would be very nervous. Normally we know in January who is coming in September and you can put things in place but things can change for businesses right up to the last moment. We had an employer pull out in July, 15 students due to come in but they just changed their minds. It is difficult - we are a business as well.”

Caroline Thoebald asked if there was still a problem with the language around apprenticeships and levy? Lynsey Whitehead said: “There is a misconception that an apprenticeship is for a 16-18 year old. That is not the case but were the reforms a chance to rebrand them – to emphasise it is for any age?”

Laura Woods disagreed saying changing the brand would just cause further confusion.

Amanda West added: “We are getting lots of phone calls from parents and students trying to enrol on a Degree Apprenticeship and that is a significant challenge (explaining to them that’s not how it works). Perhaps universities need to do something jointly with businesses who are sending STEM ambassadors into schools, or they come to open days to explain how they work.”

Michael Lemin said: “I think you can control that message when the Government mandates schools to get employers in to talk about vocational education and apprenticeships.

Employers can do that now. It was mentioned earlier that apprenticeships is a dirty word - I usually term it as the apprenticeship brand being weak as it has been tinkered with over the years. Careers advice provided by schools is always going to be geared toward academic because they have an interest in learners coming back for sixth form so the more employer links there are with schools, the more we can get young people to understand how it works before it is too late and they have made their choice.”

Esh has strong links with schools and puts a big emphasis on education and Tricia Mullen said: “Through the Build My Skills programme, we work with Year 10 delivering sessions about CVs, interview skills, online profiles and so on.

For the last two years we have bussed them into St James’ Park for interview, which is a great lead into the apprenticeship route.”

Mark Armstrong said there was also a great opportunity for NEETs [those not in employment, education or training]. “We run a NEET programme, getting them engaged in opportunities for them to start a programme.

It doesn’t matter how old they are, they can redirect their career or lack of into an apprenticeship. It is all about communication, we sit here knowing this stuff but not many people do. There is still a huge piece of work to do by the Government. Advertising concentrates around the young and not about the fact you can be any age.”

Melissa Gardiner said taking a whole business approach was how KF Training had looked at the issue. “We have challenged training norms around skills development, showing employers the value of training.

We stopped calling things apprenticeships – changing them to skills development training programmes. We have no less than five on a programme with a lot of collaborative working within groups. We might have someone doing continuous improvement on the shop floor alongside their managers doing a project with those people in their team, then some at Level 5 doing the strategic work to support that whole project. It is an investment employers see the value of.”

The debate concluded with broad agreement, there were examples of good practice but they were not being widely shared. Confusion remains and norms need challenging. Lynsey Whitehead said some employers were wanting training outside the normal academic calendar so providers had to look at ways to deliver programmes when they were needed.

Ruth Helyer said everyone who had knowledge of the system had a part to play in educating others, saying there needed to be consistent communication, marketing and explanation around all aspects of the reforms.

It was Mark Armstrong who summed up the debate when he said: “Businesses buy people and development of people is key to a successful business. Here is an opportunity through the levy so why would you not want to be involved?” n

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“At NCFE, we can’t emphasise enough our belief in the value of this route for so many learners”

Navigating your apprenticeship opportunity T

he introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy is now just around the corner.

Unsurprisingly, discussion around the value, volume and reform of apprenticeships is at an all-time high, with the forthcoming changes set to affect employers, providers and learners.

This year’s National Apprenticeship Week took place earlier this month and was, as always, a chance to highlight the importance of apprenticeships and to discuss the changes taking place in this area. At NCFE, we can’t emphasise enough our belief in the value of this route for so many learners, and we’ve seen

first-hand the success that apprenticeships can bring. They offer learners the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge required to work in their chosen career, while also earning and getting real, on-the-job experience, which of course benefits the employer too.

As we all know, apprenticeships are going through a transitional period, with spending power moving into the hands of employers, the introduction of a new funding mechanism and of the new apprenticeship standards.

The Apprenticeship Levy is of course part of the Government’s plans to increase the number

Mike Boswell, head of apprenticeship services at NCFE, looks at how the changing funding of apprenticeships will put employers even more at the centre of shaping skills provision

of businesses taking on apprenticeships, as it continues its drive to reach three million apprenticeship starts by 2020. From next month, all employers with an annual wage bill of over £3m will be required to pay a 0.5% tax, which they’ll be able to spend on training new apprentices or existing employees.

In terms of how it will all work – employers that pay the levy will use an apprenticeship service account to manage their levy allocation, which will include a 10% ‘top-up’ from the Government. If they use all of their levy allocation up, they’ll be expected to pay a

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“ Chelsea Dryden, Junior Tester at NCFE Following a year-long apprenticeship with NCFE, Chelsea Dryden successfully secured a permanent role with the company as a junior tester.

Chelsea’s journey as an apprentice began when she signed up for NCFE’s Rising Stars Academy. The academy was created to help address the skills shortage of IT workers in the North East, and it aimed to give young people a stepping stone to begin their career in IT. The academy was a 15 week boot camp style, intensive learning experience.

During the 15 weeks Chelsea gained a number of qualifications that are respected in the IT sector, including Microsoft Technical Associate (MTA) certificates and Network Fundamentals. The academy members also benefited from work experience across the business to get a feel for not only what it was like to work in IT, but also for a general office environment.

After she graduated from the NCFE Rising Stars Academy, Chelsea started her apprenticeship as a software tester.

Chelsea said: “The work experience I was given was brilliant – rather than just shadowing, NCFE colleagues trusted me to take the reins and really get involved. The work experience not only gave me technical skills, but it also improved my communication skills. I was shown what testers do on a daily basis and was also lucky enough to see things such as the automation script and have a go at writing code, which is something that helps run tests faster and more frequently.”

While obtaining valuable work experience, Chelsea was also undertaking Level 3 diplomas. She continued: “I didn’t initially realise how much my diplomas would benefit me in my job role. Doing the qualifications helped as when I was shown the automated code, I could understand it and it helped me to pick it up more easily. I don’t have A Levels, so I needed some qualifications and these are directly related to my dream career.”

Chelsea would highly recommend an apprenticeship to other young people.

“Thanks to this apprenticeship, I now have a full-time job with NCFE in the area I want to continue my career. The work experience gave me the confidence and the skills to do this job, while my qualifications provided the supporting knowledge. I’ve had some amazing opportunities and I’m only 18 years old, so I’m looking forward to continuing to build my skills and learning while I earn.”

“Large employers and a growing number of small and mediumsized enterprises want to get involved in apprenticeships”

10% contribution towards the funding rate they’ve negotiated with a provider, with the Government paying the remaining 90%.

Employers that don’t pay the levy (those whose wage bill is below £3m) will not be using the apprenticeship service account immediately, and will rely on finding a provider with a funding allocation. The employer would then be required to pay a 10% contribution towards the funding rate they’ve negotiated with a provider (again, the Government would pay the remaining 90%). If the non-levied employer is taking on 16-18 year old apprentices in a business with fewer than 50 staff, this contribution would be waived.

The levy is intended to encourage employers to invest in apprenticeships for their workforce – putting them under pressure to create the optimal apprenticeship scheme for their business. A lot of work has gone into ensuring that they are in the driving seat when negotiating prices and setting out their apprenticeship needs. According to the Department for Education, ‘the levy will allow us to double investment in apprenticeships by 2020 from 2010 levels, to £2.5bn’. However, only time will tell whether this initiative leads to an increase in the number of apprenticeships and, most importantly, jobs.

For businesses around the UK, this has meant getting to grips with what the levy means for them and how they can best navigate the opportunity and overcome the challenges it presents.

What we do know is that large employers and a growing number of small and mediumsized enterprises want to get involved in apprenticeships (some for the first time), and apprenticeships are increasingly being seen as a viable alternative to the academic route, which can only be positive.

At NCFE, we can attest from our own

“

“60% of employees in the UK will work for an employer that pays the levy, showing the scale of this measure”

perspective to an increase in employers who are looking more closely at their planning and recruitment strategies and building opportunities to include apprenticeships as a viable and sustainable part of their workforce.

Analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies

recently showed that 60% of employees in the UK will work for an employer that pays the levy, showing the scale of this measure.

My view is that the levy has – and will continue to – made employers think differently about how they use their apprenticeship

programmes, and the qualifications that form part of those programmes. It has led a number of employers to look at qualifications at a higher level than they would have done previously, and at parts of their businesses that have never been serviced by apprenticeships

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before, as they look to maximise their levy funds.

Another effect of the levy will be the change of dynamic in the relationship between provider and employer; employers will expect more from their provider, and providers will see a difference in how they contract and negotiate with employers.

We’re here to support you both now and in the future with the new standards and end point assessment. Identifying how best to apply levy funds to drive appropriate skills development is vital, so we’re on hand to help you make the levy work for your business.

We’re pleased to be one of the organisations approved by the Skills Funding Agency to

NCFE and Home Group, one of the biggest housing associations in the UK, have collaborated to develop qualifications in Customer Service, Team Leading, Management and Business Administration.

Home Group attended development days at NCFE and conducted remote reviews of a number of qualifications to ensure they would be suitable and have a positive impact in terms of upskilling staff – therefore benefiting Home Group and other businesses.

Sonya Mullen, Learning and Development Business Partner at Home Group, was a key participant in the development days for the Level 2 and 3 Certificates in Customer Service, Team Leading, Management and Business Administration. She also provided letters to support the regulation of the qualifications.

Sonya commented: “I hadn’t been involved in co-creation of qualifications before, but I found these development days really enjoyable and I learnt a lot. I was impressed with the set-up and I felt immediately at ease. I already knew some of the other businesses

deliver end point assessment, with a particular focus on the healthcare, customer service, and leadership and management sectors. This, combined with our 170 years of experience, means we’re well-placed to advise you on how to maximise opportunities around this.

Our team of experienced assessment professionals will work with employers and

in attendance, and it was great to see that we had the right people in the room to contribute to the development – it was useful to hear everyone’s thoughts on how they would benefit from the new qualifications. I can clearly see how the introduction of these qualifications could impact on our business and others, particularly to support staff in customer service which is the area I look after at Home Group.

“I also conducted a remote review of the Level 4 Diploma in Management and Leadership. This was only a day’s work and involved checking the qualification was fit-for-purpose and pitched at the right level, and reviewing all the units of the qualification. NCFE provided me with guided questions in order to do this, so the task was very straightforward, especially as it was very much aligned to my role.

“My experience of working with NCFE on qualification development has been very positive – it’s been really worthwhile to not only meet likeminded professionals, but also to build on CPD.”

navigate your apprenticeship opportunity.

NCFE is an approved end-point assessment organisation, working in: • • • •

Customer service Business, leadership and management Hospitality Professional services

Visit: levy.ncfe.org.uk Email: levy@ncfe.org.uk Call: 0191 240 8950

Get in touch to find out more about endpoint assessment, the apprenticeship levy and the standards that we’re approved for.

Navigating your apprenticeship opportunity.

CACHE operates in the following areas: • • • •

Health Childcare Dentistry Education and Training

Get in touch to find out more about end-point assessment, the apprenticeship levy and the standards that we are approved for.

Visit: levy.cache.org.uk Email: levy@cache.org.uk Call: 0191 240 8950

Training Provider: Kiwi Education Kiwi Education, an NCFE centre and award-winning training provider, provides an innovative commercial training offer to employers. Kiwi Education has first-hand experience of how valuable apprenticeships can be, as one of its own directors started out as an apprentice himself.

Michael Steel, Kiwi education’s director of operations, undertook an apprenticeship and worked his way up to the senior position he holds today. He said: “Nowadays, people do see apprenticeships as a viable option, but it certainly wasn’t like that when I started my apprenticeship. Apprenticeships were seen as the poor relation; most people wanted to go down the academic road and go to university.

“I decided to do an apprenticeship because I wanted to start working, start gaining skills and start earning money. It was a great way to start getting work experience for my CV and to build my career within an organisation. I gained the skills I needed and was employed full-time at the end of the year-long course.

“It’s really important for me to know that we’re giving young people opportunities in our local community, and that they can gain the tools and skills they need to take the first step – and next step – of their career.”

One of the employers Kiwi Education works with is Costa Coffee. 20-year-old Conrad Bunday is one of the company’s apprentices and has already seen the benefits of taking this route. He has completed a Level 3 apprenticeship and is now the manager of a Costa Coffee store.

Conrad said: “When I was 16, I didn’t particularly want to go to college because I wanted to get work experience, so I went for an interview for an apprenticeship with Costa Coffee. I was placed in a store and three months later I progressed to supervisor level. From there I completed my Level 2 and moved up to assistant manager. I’ve now achieved Level 3 and was happy to progress to manager, running my own store, having my own staff and my own targets.

“My highlight has been competing at national level for ‘barista of the year’, and to be recognised not only by others in the apprenticeship world but also by my own company. Doing an apprenticeship was my lifeline as it gave me the opportunity to go into education and into work at the same time.

“I would love to go down the training route in order to help others to progress and to give back to the company what they’ve given to me.”

Another of Kiwi Education’s employer customers is Microlink PC (UK). Microlink’s chief executive, Nasser Siabi, has found apprenticeships to be advantageous to the business: “We can mould individuals to the job, so it’s a very good way to employ and grow future talent.”

In addition, Kiwi Education is committed to hiring apprentices to work in its own office, such as Lindsey Churchyard, who commented: “I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship and have progressed quickly, becoming a full-time administrator within eight months.”

Real life examples like these show just how beneficial apprenticeships can be, providing young people who don’t want to go down the academic route with a viable alternative so that they can earn while they learn, and also helping employers to plug skills gaps.

providers to offer full end-point assessment services, including designing, developing and delivering quality and robust assessments.

We’re delighted that both the NCFE and CACHE brands have been approved to deliver end-point assessment for standards in the leadership and management, customer service, and health and social care sectors. We will continue to strengthen our portfolio as more standards go live.

End-point assessment is of course very different from the continuous assessment that so many are used to. Therefore, in order to give all parties involved the best chance of success, we’ll work with selected partners to ensure that learners are ready to take the assessment – both practically and mentally. We need to remember that learner achievement is crucial, and a key first step here will be to ensure that all learners are informed right at the start of their apprenticeship that they’ll be assessed via end-point assessment.

In this period of change, awarding organisations, providers and employers will all need to work together to navigate the landscape and deliver high quality apprenticeships that will provide learners with the essential skills they need to succeed, and help employers to plug skills gaps in their businesses. n

If you’d like to talk about how we can support you with making the most of the levy, please get in touch with our apprenticeship consultants on 0191 240 8950, email levy@ncfe.org.uk or visit our dedicated website at www.levy.ncfe.org.uk.

“

“In this period of change, awarding organisations, providers and employers will all need to work together to navigate the landscape and deliver high quality apprenticeships”

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RECOGNISING THE VALUE OF IP IN YOUR BUSINESS

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PROVIDERS

PREPARED The introduction of the apprenticeship levy means a big shake-up in the world of training, but KF Training saw the changes coming and has positioned itself to meet the challenges

K

F Training of Peterlee is celebrating after being included on a list of training providers for apprenticeships.

The Department for Education and the Skills Funding Agency have published a new register of apprenticeship training providers, to ensure that anyone taking an apprenticeship is doing so with a quality, registered provider.

Now, with the new register, trainers providing the courses must have the needs of apprentices in mind, ensuring their training is tailored to the requirements of the businesses they work in.

All providers on the register have been through a rigorous assessment process to make sure they meet apprenticeship quality expectations.

Employers paying the new apprenticeship levy will be able to choose their apprenticeship training delivery from the list for all apprentices starting their programmes from May 2017.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Robert Halfon said: “Giving employers control over their apprenticeships needs and funding is an essential feature of our plan to create an apprenticeships and skills nation. Our new register of apprenticeship providers will mean that only organisations that have passed our quality assurance can deliver apprenticeships.

“We are giving employers the confidence to do business with high-quality training providers, and making sure that individuals can benefit from goldstandard routes as they climb the ladder of opportunity.’’

This is a significant milestone for KF Training and sets the seal of approval on the journey the business has been embarked on for the past two years.

Managing director Kelly Lee said: “This is great news and reflects all the

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Delivering in the North East and beyond Currently KF Training has some 1,200 learners on programme.

The company also offers commercial training and digital programmes which are promoted through its ecommerce website (Intellelearn).

Commercial includes continuous improvement training, personal development, personal effectiveness and also areas of mandatory training such as health and safety or first aid.

Its training provision comes under four main headings: continuous improvement; leadership and management; business skills; and innovation.

KF Training’s digital team, Intellelearn, also develops bespoke digital and e-learning modules for regular clients as well as adapting e-learning to be embedded within the apprenticeship delivery.

Managing director Kelly Lee explained: “When the company started, it was predominantly North East but over the last two years we have developed a national footprint and we deliver all over the UK. We at KF Training set out our stall over 24 months ago - not in response to funding reform but in response to the need to be better, do more and provide real training that employers were already screaming for, as outlined in the Richardson Review in 2012. We’ve spearheaded a fresh, collaborative, solution focused, skills rich training model and are giving employers exactly what they need and want through bespoke products which offer real value for money and tangible return on investment - and in our eyes there is no better advert for training providers than that!”

hard work we have put in over the past two years to remodel the business in anticipation of future training demands.’’

KF Training was set up in 2011 on the back of a small apprenticeship contract for the manufacturing sector. It started by concentrating on manufacturing and on the shop floor training and then moved to working across all departments within a plant as well as moving into other sectors.

Since then, it has grown steadily, taking on new contracts with different funding providers and winning more clients so that it now has a national presence.

But the business became increasingly dissatisfied with the way apprenticeships were being seen.

Kelly explained: “There was a stigma surrounding traditional apprenticeships because they were seen as a tick box exercise.

That was very frustrating for us and we wanted to challenge it and change the way skills were being developed within apprenticeships.”

She added: “We didn’t want to be associated with watering down of training which is the way that the training industry was going. We wanted to begin something different and get ahead of the game; we needed it to be not just about the qualification but about going in and really spending quality time with the business, investing up-front, listening to their challenges and developing a package together that met those challenges.

We evolved the way that we delivered, by creating bespoke programmes with the client’s needs at the heart of our training offer.

“Over the past two years, we’ve embarked on a total business transformation, looking at the way that we position, the way that we deliver and driving the business towards being apprenticeship levy-proof.

“We first set up as a traditional apprenticeship provider with a lot of one-to-one learner to-trainer provision. What we’ve been doing for the past two years is real self-assessment, taking a long hard look at the challenges in the business. Our business development team are now more business focused and adopt a clear consultative approach at a director level, so that we thoroughly understand what a client’s needs are and what package of solutions we can put together to meet those needs.

Over the last two years we have looked at and changed how we deliver. Our training adds real value and gives the client tangible return on investment and that’s how we set ourselves apart.

“Our two year journey has been in anticipation of the apprenticeship levy. The levy is all about the employer, it’s about employer’s choices - they are in the driving seat - and it’s about the added value that we bring to the employer. Our training now is about that return on investment for their money because – with the levy – they are spending their own money now.’’

KF Training has developed a model of training to meet the employer’s needs and engage the apprentice.

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“We are putting real skills training in there and that’s what’s exciting”

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“There was a stigma surrounding traditional apprenticeships because they were seen as a tick box exercise.”

“We’ve created bespoke diagnostic tools that we use at the beginning of our apprenticeship programmes to identify and scope out potential projects,’’ said Kelly. “In all of the apprenticeship programmes we have live projects that we identify through the diagnostics tool or which are specific to the client’s needs, which means that it’s a live working project with a real return on investment and links directly to the apprenticeship programme.

“There’s a lot more technology within training and we embrace this making it more fun, interactive and engaging. Getting participants to work on a live project, makes the training come alive. Employers see the benefit because it’s company focused and making a real improvement to their workplace which their staff are an integral part of.’’

As soon as the details of the apprenticeship levy were unveiled, KF Training knew that its new business model hit the brief and had been the right way to go. This has been further confirmed by the business’s inclusion on the new register of providers.

“Once the levy information started to come out, we knew what we had been doing was really ahead of the game,’’ said Kelly.

All the delivery of the company’s training, done on the client’s premises, is flexible to business demands in direct response to employers.

“We have a standard delivery model - we go in and train the apprentices in the class room or training room on the client’s premises, we deliver workshops and then we take them out on the shop floor to do observations and to work on the projects,’’ she said.

All KF Training’s trainers have industry experience and experience in leadership and management. They are also all qualified trainers as well as assessors.

The apprenticeship levy represents the greatest shake-up in vocational learning in the UK for decades.

“It’s going to be much more under the spotlight because the employers are spending their own money,’’ said Kelly. “Therefore they are going to want a quality service from the

training provider and they are going to want added value to get the best outcomes for their training budget, for their staff and for their business.’’

She added: “It’s going to be about packaging the service that you are going to supply, delivering on your service promises and demonstrating real value to employers.”

It will also affect smaller employers, who, while not paying the levy, will now have to make a contribution to training costs.

“They have to contribute 10% towards the cost of training where previously training has been fully funded,’’ she said. “So they will also be looking at getting value for money.’’

Investing money in training will bring that key element – commitment.

“Business commitment will be key to the success of the training,’’ said Kelly. “The more you put in, the more you are going to get out of it. If you commit to the way we deliver and the workshop delivery, release staff and invest in them, that’s when real impactful skills development happens.”

And are employers ready for this?

“Some employers are, some are well informed and know what they are going to do. Others are not informed and think that the levy can be used to spend on recruiting an apprentice, but it’s not. It’s there for them to spend on either training an apprentice or upskilling their existing workforce.’’

For those employers who are not ready, Kelly has some simple advice.

“Make sure you do your research and make sure you’re finding the right sort of provider to work with, the one who’s going to add value, somebody for whom you can get a testimonial to find out what they have been doing. That way, you’ll be making a more informed choice.

“There’s going to be more for the employer to do because they are going to be in the driving seat. They are also going to be involved with the digital apprenticeship service (DAS), so they need to find a provider who will support them through that, support in the lead up to the levy and who can support them thereafter.’’

Furthermore, the employer should not be taking on apprentices for the sake of it, it must

be part of the business’s overall strategy.

“They’ve got to think of the levy as being their training budget pot, so they need to spend it in a way that is going to be have the most impact, be the most effective and support the business to grow and progress.’’ said Kelly.

She pointed out that training and apprenticeships bring many other benefits to the employer, such as: increased loyalty, improved morale and higher motivation and greater staff retention.

The apprenticeship levy marks a huge change, but the training world is always changing and companies must – like KF Training – adapt and develop to keep pace with, and anticipate, those changes.

“Whether it’s recruiting an apprentice or whether it’s working with young people in the age 16 to 24, you can see that there’s a lot more coming through with GCSE A to C grades, which is really good,’’ said Kelly. “I would also say that you can see a lot more commitment from the employers as well as from the delegates because they are starting to see what the real benefit is to them, whether it’s transferable skills or progression within the company.’’

She added: “We are involved in a lot of forums in the North East. We keep up to date with what’s going on with all the different LEP regions. We are part of the provider alliances, we get involved with external training, attend network events, task and finish groups and have all the information coming through to make sure that we up to date. We are part of the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA).

We cascade and share all the information that we need to brief the team and we’re always well informed ahead of changes.’’

But, whatever new developments come along, KF Training’s commitment and dedication won’t alter.

Kelly said “We are putting real skills training in there and that’s what’s exciting, when you see learners progress and the clients are getting benefit from it and it’s really having an impact on the business, that’s what training’s all about.’’ n

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Why are so many businesses unaware of the apprenticeship levy?

Why it’s time for you to utilise the apprenticeship levy to its full potential.

In the 2015 summer budget, the government set out plans to train three million new apprentices by 2020, and to help meet their targets they introduced the concept of the apprenticeship levy.

The apprenticeship levy is now set to come into force in May 2017 and will require large employers to make a significant investment in apprenticeships.

The main purpose of the levy is to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships and encourage large employers to use apprenticeships as the key training method for the future.

It will not only help deliver new apprenticeships but aims to improve them by putting employers at the centre of the system.

Employers committed to the training should be able to get back more than they put in by training a sufficient number of apprentices.

But despite these major changes arriving in just a month, a number of businesses are still completely unaware of the levy.

According to research carried out by City & Guilds, around a third of businesses in England are unaware or confused about the apprenticeship levy.

500 business leaders took part in the research which found that nearly a quarter surveyed were unaware of the changes to the system and 28% did not know if they were required to contribute towards the levy.

The levy is big business and is expected to raise up to £3 billion a year by 2019-20, with the

government estimating that £2.5 billion of this will be spent in England alone.

So it really is time for businesses to be thinking seriously about the levy and how it can help them with their training needs. Our forward thinking teams here at KF training are ready to help.

We have already helped a number of businesses from across the UK get on the right track regarding the apprenticeship levy. We have their training plans set up and in place ready to go as soon as the levy kicks in, but don’t worry, you still have time to get your plans in place to utilise every payment you make into the levy.

Immersing themselves in your business, our teams at KF Training bring a dynamic and pioneering approach to training, not only helping with levy set up but creating bespoke plans that will benefit the key areas of your business.

It’s important to realise that apprenticeship training can help your business achieve key goals, whether it is increased sales, better leadership, improved processes and efficiency or reduced costs.

We look at your businesses challenges, aims and aspirations to produce a diagnostic report that are unique to your business, this way we can work together to really deliver positive business impact.

And with our delegate diagnostic report we can steer your business improvements in the right direction, making us all ensure that

TRUE OR FALSE?

An apprentice has to be a young person who is brought into your business externally.

YES

NO

Find the answer at www.kftraining.co.uk

For further details contact us on T: 0191 518 6830 or E: info@kftraining.co.uk

Bespoke solutions KF Training has made a real difference to the working culture at one satisfied nationwide customer, demonstrating the value that upskilling a workforce can have One KF Training client is Bradbury Group, the UK’s largest manufacturer of steel doors, security grilles and cages.

The 25-year-old Scunthorpe based company, which also has a production site in Ayr, in Scotland, has 190 employees. It supplies sole traders and major multinationals and it has sold its products as far afield as Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea.

The business, which will be a levy payer from April 2017, engaged KF Training in 2016 to come up with training solutions to challenge and support a cultural shift in the company.

Operations director Patsy Payling explains: “In the past we trained our people on how to do their job but we never developed that to improve the company. We had some retention issues and we wanted to improve engagement. We surveyed the staff and found they wanted more of a say and input into the business but to do that they needed to know how.’’

KF Training came up with a bespoke whole company training solution to drive forward cultural change and innovation at all levels within Bradbury.

“We liked the fact it was bespoke,’ says Patsy. “Instead of saying, `This is what we are going to do’, they asked us what we needed and we explained to them our vision, what we wanted to do and where we wanted the company to be. And they came up with a work improvement programme.’’

The programme took people from different departments, giving them projects to work on around real issues in the company, imparting transferable skills. Also 30 team leaders and potential team leaders have been put on a leadership and management course and another five on a level 5 course and 26 doing a work improvement course.

Already the results are apparent.

“It has gone really well,’’ says Patsy. “You can see even subtle changes in people on the training, they have more confidence and a more rounded understanding of how they fit into the company and how that affects other parts. Now we have people coming to us and asking to be on the next course.’’

Managing director Tim Strawson says: “I would just like to add I was delighted with the results and the massive enthusiasm that the group showed. It was brilliant to see it.’’

Following this feedback and the enthusiasm of the workforce, another two teams have been chosen for the next round of courses.

“We’d like everybody to do the work improvement course to give them skills that we can use,’’ adds Patsy.

And what are KF Training like to work with?

“Really helpful. They are really friendly and now they are just part of the team.’’

your new apprentices and programmes are delivering the positive business impact you need.

Also when thinking about apprenticeships, people automatically think it involves bringing in a young person externally, but as important as it is to invest time and money into the next generation for the future of your business, apprenticeship levy payments can also be used to fund training for your current workforce.

Age and past experience is not necessarily a factor within this and given the way career directions change, some re-skilling and/ or up-skilling is likely to occur where training and development is required.

So this will include graduates eligible for level six or seven apprenticeship programmes and any further existing employee development as long as training meets apprenticeship criteria.

The levy also gives you the opportunity to take a fresh look at your current training plans. With new training techniques been added all the time it’s important to keep up to date and find the best ways for your workforce to interact and learn.

Currently 63% of UK learning and development leaders are using e-learning.

At KF Training we have a dedicated e-learning team which can create unique engaging training content to help your workforce study using digital skills. This includes games, scenarios, quizzes and video content which helps saves time and money and gives a richer delegate experience, helping cover your requirements and maintain productivity.

But you must remember the levy is a long term payment that needs to be continually managed going forward, as your business needs change so does your training.

Our specialist project teams are not only here to get you through the first few months of the levy but also to help build your training programmes in the long term.

Once we have helped you select and set up your skills programmes delivery we will continue to work alongside you to adapt and tailor your output to your business needs and make sure you are making a successful return on your investment.

And our innovative pick and mix business model also allows you to add a host of additional training modules as and when you need it, adding value and giving you more value for money.

Our pick and mix course areas include business skills, leadership and management, health and safety, innovation and continuous improvement.

We know that all these changes may seem daunting for your business but at KF Training we see the levy as a huge opportunity for businesses.

Working as a part of your business as your chosen skills partner from an early stage, we can make sure that every penny you pay in to the levy is not wasted. We have invested our time to create a team that we are proud of here at KF Training, who are all ready to help take your business to the next level. n

To speak to our teams here at KF Training to find out more about opportunities for your business and the apprenticeship levy, please contact us on 0191 518 6830 or visit www.kftraining.co.uk

The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship is industry driven, professional body aligned and government supported. It combines excellent business education, work-based learning and professional development to support the growth of graduate level managers, for now and the future.

Higher and degree apprenticeships are a government initiative aimed at helping employers develop the talent and skills of new and existing staff, combining on-the-job training with study for a higher education qualification. > Develop existing non-graduate managers and managers of the future. > Work-based assessments and a professional project will offer your organisation opportunities for improvement and development. > An award underpinned by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and informed by key employers across a range of sectors, in liaison with a number of higher education institutions and the Chartered Association of Business Schools. > A route open to any age group (18+) and eligible for up to two-thirds government funding towards the cost of education.* *eligibility criteria apply

Enrolling now for May 2017

From April 2017, government funding for apprenticeships in England is changing. All employers with an annual wage bill of over ÂŁ3m will be required to invest in apprenticeships by contributing to a levy.

Funding is available for all employers towards the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment.

Find out more T: 01642 342312 E: businessschool@tees.ac.uk tees.ac.uk/businessschool