Employer Led Apprenticeship Creation Programme (ELACP) By Ann-Marie Soyinka Senior Project Officer, GLA September 2015

Background  Despite being one of the world’s economic centres, London still has one of the lowest rates of apprenticeship take-up in the country.  Mayor of London has led an ambitious business-facing campaign in London which has already helped to create over 170,000 apprenticeships since August 2010 with over 40,000 consistently being created each year. Before 2010, annual starts did not exceed 21,000 (and were often much lower)  The Employer-Led Apprenticeship Creation Programme was designed to build on this success by tapping into the knowledge, expertise and problem-solving ability of employers for the creation of new apprenticeship opportunities for London residents

The ELACP  Pilot aimed at exploring best practice for engaging businesses with little or no previous history of recruiting apprentices, to support them in creating new apprenticeship opportunities in London.  Apprenticeships are available to those aged 16 plus who want to earn whilst they learn – the programme has no age limit.  Following a competitive procurement process, seven organisations were chosen to deliver the programme. Targets:  3,800 eligible businesses engaged and supported with and Organisational Needs Assessment  3,000 Apprentice Starts Sustained for 13 weeks

ELACP Projects Creative and Cultural Industries Led by Creative and Cultural Skills in partnership with Creative Skillset, The Creative Society, and A New Direction Using their extensive employer networks of over 500 businesses in London to engage with employers Sectors include craft, cultural heritage, design, fashion games, music, performing arts, radio, and TV, and art galleries. Geographic coverage – 16 London boroughs Apprenticeship Creation in PR & Creative Sectors Delivered by the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) in partnership with Damar Training, Diva, Redwood Education and Skills Ltd, Jobwise Training and Outsource Training Specialising in PR apprenticeships but also have opportunities in Marketing, Advertising, Creative and digital media and Legal sectors. Geographic coverage – Pan London Tech and Digital Skills Consortium Delivered by Creative Pioneers in partnership with Just IT The programme is steered by a wider consortium of partners who all individually have a long history of assisting business growth by developing their skills base and see apprenticeships as a way to build on this work. Apprenticeships are created in the digital, technical and media sectors Geographic Coverage – Pan London

ELACP Projects Enhanced Apprenticeships for Heath and Social Care Delivered by the London Borough of Islington in partnership with Cite and City & Islington College Working with borough based Community Education Provider Networks (CEPNs), Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), council Health and Social Care providers, local pharmaceutical committees, and sub-regional Health Education networks to promote apprenticeships Promoting apprenticeships in Health and Social Care across GPs, pharmacies, and care homes Geographic coverage – Pan London Apprenticeships Mean Business Delivered by Society of London Manufacturers (Soloman) in partnership with IPS International, RM Training, Keits and the South East Apprenticeship Company (SEAC) Working with eight other employer network partners (business associations and Business Improvement Districts)to significantly boost the number of apprenticeship starts in the Manufacturing Sector Consortium members represent 850 of London’s SMEs Geographic coverage: Pan London

ELACP Projects The Capital Apprenticeship Promotion Programme Led by Prevista The target sectors include: Arts, media and publishing Business, administration and law Construction, planning and built environment Engineering and manufacturing technologies Information and communication technologies Geographic Area: Pan London WeZapp Led by Westminster Adult Education Services (WAES) Working with employers and employer networks within key sectors including; Knowledge Economy Entertainment/Leisure Creative and New Media Travel and Tourism Property Geographic Area: Central London (primarily Westminster, Chelsea and Kensington, Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden, and Islington)

How are employers being engaged?  Dedicated employer engagement teams approaching employers on a 1-1 basis  Employer-led steering groups that are able to connect with other employers on behalf of the programme  Targeted events – aimed at employers in specific sectors, promoting the benefits of apprenticeships  Marketing materials

What has been delivered so far? Delivery from March 2015 to date  800 eligible business engaged and supported with an OTNA  1,300 candidates supported with pre- apprenticeship support  Over 400 Apprenticeship Starts

What have we learnt?  Employers respond better to 1-1 engagement approaches but take longer to engage than originally anticipated by the delivery partners  Quality of applications for apprenticeships is often low so pre-apprenticeship support plays a key role in delivering the programme and supporting harder- to-reach groups  Some sectors are naturally more attractive to young people than others, and therefore better able to attract candidates with the right qualifications and soft skills.  Low-wage apprenticeships are a deterrence for young people – although not necessarily in the Creative Sector

Q&A Ann-Marie Soyinka Senior Project Officer