1. APPRENTICESHIP REFORMS (ENGLAND)
GAIL DALTON-AYRES
DIRECTOR - BL TRAINING LTD
APPRENTICESHIP SUPPORT & KNOWLEDGE IN SCHOOLS PROJECT LEAD – NORTH REGION (Funded by ESFA)
Introduction – background

2. APPRENTICESHIP REFORMS (ENGLAND)
Background to the ‘Apprenticeship Reforms’
In 2012, the Review of Apprenticeships in England was commissioned by Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).
The review aimed at identifying whether apprenticeships delivered the training, qualifications and skills that employers and learners needed.
The resulting ‘Richard Review’ highlighted that a significant number of employers felt current SASE Apprenticeship Frameworks were not fit for industry needs.
As a result, the Government formed a strategy to redefine apprenticeships to meet these changing needs.
‘The Apprenticeship Reforms and Implementation Plan’.

3. RADICAL CHANGES TO APPRENTICESHIPS
There are several key areas of change:
1. New Apprenticeship Standards to replace all existing Apprenticeship Frameworks by 2020
2. Introduction of end-point assessment
3. Reforms to funding include a new Apprenticeship Levy for large employers (including some schools)
4. An increase in higher and degree apprenticeship opportunities as a real alternative to university
5. New Register of Approved Training Providers
Aim: To increase apprenticeships to 3 million by 2020
Changes to apprenticeships explained

4. FRAMEWORKS TO NEW STANDARDS
Review image and explain
Introduction of new end point assessment main change

5. Get ahead with an apprenticeship – key messages
An apprenticeship is a real job with training, so you can earn while you learn and get recognised qualifications as you go.
You can apply for an apprenticeship if:
you live in England
you're 16 or over
you're not in full-time education
full and part time apprenticeships available
second level apprenticeships – if skills are different to gain employment
previous apprenticeships – funding rules apply / may be reduced based on APL
maths & English qualifications – entry requirements based on sector area
the apprenticeship training must last at least 12 months
the apprentice must spend at least 20% of their time on off-the-job training
they must be paid the relevant national minimum wage
Key messages

6. SECTORS IN DEMAND – SKILLS SHORTAGE IN DURHAM
TV AND DURHAM – Skills Plan identifies the skills shortages in our region and predicted job openings up to 2020

7. 200 NEW APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS IN DEVELOPMENT
To help meet the current and predicted future skills gaps, new apprenticeships are being developed including:
Nursing Degree Apprenticeship – universities offering with NHS (2018)
A consortium of schools are developing the TA apprenticeship, led by Hughenden Primary in Buckinghamshire. The group are currently developing an apprenticeship Standard, to be followed by assessment criteria for the new apprenticeship, which they aim to have in place by the end of 2017.
Early work on developing a teacher apprenticeship standard is also underway, led by a group of schools coordinated by the Teaching Schools Council.
80 Universities now offering higher and degree apprenticeships including Teesside / Sunderland / Durham / Open University
Currently 151 Frameworks / 182 New Standards and 200 Standards in development
Some issues with lack of EPA organisations

8. APPRENTICESHIP LEVY – LARGE EMPLOYERS
Levy image explained

9. Starts from May 2017 – Levy paying employers are using the levy to up skill current employees and recruit new starts - by age range

10. SMEs – 95% non levy paying employers

11. KEY MESSAGES FOR STAFF:
SMEs make up 95% of apprenticeship market offering jobs via apprenticeships in all regions across UK
Increase in adult apprenticeships and a slight decrease in applications over last 12 months.
Your NEET client group can;
‘All Age’ apprenticeships
Retrain via an apprenticeship with local training provider and employer
Option to apply for a second level 2 or 3 apprenticeship, as long as there is a material difference from the apprenticeship framework previously achieved
Register on Find an apprenticeship website and create alerts for local vacancies
AGE grant for employers still available (Via ESFA or devolved LA such as Tees Valley)
New apprenticeship incentive payment of £1000 to employers
New GCSE grade comparison handout to signpost FS requirements
How does this effect Durham Works staff – key messages

12. DID YOU KNOW? British Sign Language (BSL) British Sign Language will now be accepted as an alternative qualification to functional skills in English for apprentices where BSL is their first language.

13. Current Grading Structure
New Grading Structure
Current Grading Structure
Functional Skills 9 8 7 A* A
GCSE A – C
GRADES 9 – 4
CONSESSION AT L2 FS 6 5 4 B C 3 2 D E
GCSE D – E
GRADES 3 – 2
EQUIVALENT – FS LEVEL 1
*COF – Upskill required to L2 1 F G
GCSE F/ G/ U
GRADE 1/U
LEVEL 1 FS REQUIRED U
SCHOOL GRADES FOR APPRENTICESHIP FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
CONDITION OF FUNDING (MATHS AND ENGLISH)

14. Levels of apprenticeship
We now have three levels: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher.
Intermediate is Level 2, which is equivalent to GCSE
Advanced is Level 3, which is equivalent to A level
Higher apprenticeships cover levels 4 through to 7
Level 4 is equivalent to a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or the first year of a degree
Level 5 – 6 is equivalent to a full degree
Level 7 is equivalent to a masters degree
If you want to, you can now start an apprenticeship and work all the way up to achieving a degree.
Which level of apprenticeship you start at will depend on the kind of job that you are applying for. It’s really important not to be held back by only looking for a particular level e.g. degree apprenticeships, because it may be that you need to start at advanced or higher level and work your way up.
Doing a job is completely different to getting a GCSE or A Level and that’s why it can be a bit confusing.
The duration of your apprenticeship will depend on a number of factors including the delivery model that your employer selects and which level of apprenticeship you are studying. As a minimum, all apprenticeships must last for a minimum of 12 months.

15. Apprenticeship Levels and Equivalencies
Traineeship- introduction to an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship Levels:
Level 2 Intermediate → 5 GCSEs at C and above
Level 3 Advanced → Two A-Level passes
Higher and Degree Apprenticeships:
Level 4 → Higher national certificate
Level 5 → Foundation degree / higher national diploma
Level 6 → Bachelors degree
Level 7 → Masters / post graduate degree
Apprenticeships take between 1 and 4 years to complete (some exceptions in HAD). They cover a range of industries, from traditional service sector and skills such as plumbing, construction, hairdressing, retail to engineering, financial advice, veterinary nursing to accountancy.
We now have three levels: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher.
Intermediate is Level 2, which is equivalent to GCSE
Advanced is Level 3, which is equivalent to A level
Higher apprenticeships cover levels 4 through to 7
Level 4 is equivalent to a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or the first year of a degree
Level 5 – 6 is equivalent to a full degree
Level 7 is equivalent to a masters degree
If you want to, you can now start an apprenticeship and work all the way up to achieving a degree.
Which level of apprenticeship you start at will depend on the kind of job that you are applying for. It’s really important not to be held back by only looking for a particular level e.g. degree apprenticeships, because it may be that you need to start at advanced or higher level and work your way up.
Doing a job is completely different to getting a GCSE or A Level and that’s why it can be a bit confusing.
The duration of your apprenticeship will depend on a number of factors including the delivery model that your employer selects and which level of apprenticeship you are studying. As a minimum, all apprenticeships must last for a minimum of 12 months.

16. Some of the possibilities
When we talk about apprenticeships, people often assume we’re referring to traditional apprenticeships like construction and engineering. There are many brilliant apprenticeships in these areas, but there are also hundreds of new apprenticeships in exciting areas that you might not know exist.
This slide gives you an idea of the huge range of apprenticeships available. If you have got a job or career in mind, it’s really worth doing your research as there is a high chance you could get there through an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are available in a wide range of industry sectors with employers from large national companies such as the BBC, Barclays Bank, IBM, Airbus, ASOS, ITV and Royal Mail to smaller, local companies.
Activity idea: Pick out a few of the job roles to discuss – will depend on the audience.
Activity idea: Can anyone spot an apprenticeship on the screen that has surprised them?
Activity idea: Does anyone know someone who is doing an interesting apprenticeship?

17. How do you find an apprenticeship?
Register on Find an apprenticeship
Do your research and search for jobs
Start applying
Manage your alerts
Make contact with the companies
1. It’s really important to register with Find an Apprenticeship. Search the internet for ‘Find an apprenticeship’ and it will come up as the first link The search page is on gov.uk, an official government site
Once you register you’ll receive an account activation code by . After activating your account, you’re ready to start applying for apprenticeship vacancies.
2. Have a look at the different jobs that are being advertised. Remember, this is a live jobs site so it may be that you need to try and few different searches or to broaden how far you are looking to find jobs that you are interested in.
3. Start applying for jobs that interest you. You need to remember that some of the bigger companies will advertise quite early in the year (e.g. Autumn) for apprentices to start the following September so please don’t leave it until the last minute or you might be disappointed to have missed a great opportunity.
4. Set up your alerts. A great feature of this system is that you can get it to do all the hard work for you. You can manage your alert settings so that you receive text messages and s when jobs come up that you might be interested in
5. Employers are always telling us that the applicants that really stand out to them, are those that have made a bit of extra effort. You could consider contacting the company and asking them if you could spend a few hours shadowing a member of staff or if they have any open days coming up. That will look really impressive on your application and can give you an advantage over other applicants.

18. 5 miles = 6 apprenticeships 10 miles = 53 apprenticeships
Are there any jobs?
Over 28,000 vacancies advertised each year
5 miles = 6 apprenticeships
10 miles = 53 apprenticeships
15 miles = 125 apprenticeships
20 miles = 384 apprenticeships
Guidance notes: We would expect this slide to be updated by the delivery partner to reflect local opportunities by searching through Find an Apprenticeship
I had a look on the Find an apprenticeship website before coming along today.
If you notice, within 5 miles of this school/college today, there are xx vacancies.
You can see how this number grows the more you increase the distance.
You will need to think about how far you are prepared to travel for work each day.
If you want to think about working in the (insert name of an appropriate location) City, then you could be looking for vacancies there.
The one rule is that you will need to be able to get there, on time, every day.
Don’t worry if you don’t know too much about travelling to work. On the new Find an apprenticeship website, there is a journey planner so this will help you when you are applying for vacancies to work out which vacancies are going to be realistic, and which are not in terms of distance.
It is important not to restrict your searches for vacancies to just look at large companies as many small employers offer some excellent vacancies with great packages and career progression opportunities.

19. Sophie to provide front cover
The Apprenticeship Guide
Sophie to provide front cover
Find out about the latest apprenticeships available
Build your knowledge of starting salaries and progression opportunities
Read about real apprentices in real jobs
Another source of information is The Apprenticeship Guide….you won’t be able to put it down, because it’s packed with useful information.
New version will be out shortly – few copies for you.

20. University – have a plan A and B
This year the National Apprenticeship Service together with UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) are working together to promote higher and degree apprenticeships.
You can go onto their website to view all of the Higher and Degree apprenticeship vacancies and in the future, these will also be a link alongside your options so that when you select your university choices, you will also be able to look at degree apprenticeships.
No-matter what your first choice is, whether it is studying at university full time or applying for apprenticeships, it’s really important to keep your options and do your research. Apply for university and look at apprenticeships and submit applications.
You may change your mind further down the line so our advice to you is to apply for both – that way when you get your results, you will have some options.
Useful additional resources:
WHICH UNIVERSITY - Guide to Higher & Degree Apprenticeships
The Student Room – Apprenticeship Hub..

21. Become an Apprenticeship Champion
Register to receive a Champion Toolkit and up to date information on Apprenticeships

22. What next?
To keep up to date with Apprenticeship changes and gain a free resources log onto
Register to become an Apprenticeship Champion
Receive free toolkit / resources
Regular updates via newsletters and webinar invites
Parent / Student / Stakeholder – Live Broadcasts from October 2017
What next?  

23. Any questions?