How we can help
We are working to develop a resource which addresses common concerns and draws on the experience and expertise of colleagues currently involved in developing and running technical apprenticeships.
This resource will recognise the different experiences across the sector and will help increase the understanding, development and uptake of high quality technical apprenticeships across the sector.
We plan to develop this in two ways:
Building a database of FAQs: You ask the questions, and we provide answers. We will combine current guidance with the expertise and experience of others to provide insight into what works and what doesn't.
Apprentice Question Time surgeries: A chance for you to ask questions to a panel of people with a range of expertise and experience. These will also feed into the FAQs.
Situational examples of how we can help
Our FAQs should be able to provide you with practical guidance in a number of situations including:
You may want to ask questions as a manager or member of staff wanting to take an apprenticeship for career development.
You may want to drive the development of a programme in your technical community through an apprenticeship.
As someone who wants to set up an apprenticeship locally but there is no Institution support available.
You may want to ask practical questions across a range of topics areas which could, for example, include how to:
Write a business case to get support for an apprentice.
Identify suitable roles that could become an apprenticeship.
Identify the best standard, training provider and End Point Assessment organisation,
Negotiate funding and contracting with a training provider.
Manage apprenticeships on a day-to-day basis.
Manage poor quality provision from your training provider.
If you want to ask a question, or if you feel you have experience and expertise to be involved in supporting others, email ntdc@sheffield.ac.uk.
Our experience
Keele University, in partnership with HEaTED and NTDC ran a workshop on Technical Apprenticeship. What became clear was that whilst some higher education institutions (HEIs) have developed an apprenticeship scheme, others are still struggling to take this forward. The findings from our workshops mirrored our perceptions.
The current government Apprenticeship Scheme, is employer led, meaning that the development and management of local apprenticeships lies with the employer. Each apprenticeship has to align to one of the many standards developed by employers, it has to include 20% ‘off-the-job’ (OTJ) training, and progress has to be assessed by an End Point Assessor (EPA) before the apprenticeship can be awarded. Each standard has an attached funding band to pay for the OTJ, the funding is paid for from the Apprenticeship Levy.
The scheme is complex, needs the support of your HEI, but engaging with it is both rewarding and is a key tool to help continue to build on and develop the technical community.
The NTDC has always promoted the view that the most effective approach is to have a centrally supported programme where central expertise, supports and enables the development and delivery of local apprenticeships. The reality though, is that, for many technical communities, this is not happening.
In some cases there is no central support to help develop the scheme locally, and in others, the university-wide approach is less successful at enabling technical apprenticeships, for a myriad of reasons.