Do Apprenticeships Actually Deliver ‘Skills for Life’ Or Are They Just Good Government PR?

Erica explores the efficacy of apprenticeship programmes, focusing on whether they truly deliver “Skills for Life.”

Reflecting on this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, it feels odd to me that many organisations, especially those who are subject to large annual apprenticeship levy payments, are still yet to be convinced by the apprenticeship model.

2024’s campaign theme ‘Skills for Life’ emphasises once again young people starting their careers in what looks like smart imagery of corporate organisations and STEM (science, tech, engineering, maths) subjects.

You could continue the challenge of whether this is the right focus for apprenticeships (as it continues to seem to isolate older apprentices and those who are already in roles) however I am focusing this blogpost on the ‘skills for life’ element.

Do apprenticeships actually deliver ‘Skills for Life’ or are they just good Government PR?

So, I ask the question, do apprenticeships actually provide this kind of transferable currency to use throughout our working lives?

Well, to start, let’s break down what an apprenticeship is and see what’s on offer.

What goes into an apprenticeship?

There are three mandatory elements:

The subject, or the main topic of the apprenticeship. A curriculum of skills, knowledge, and behaviours which the apprentices must learn and then bring together at the end of the programme as part of their endpoint assessment.
Potentially a qualification which sits within the standard. Some apprenticeships have these and some do not. Some are mandated as part of the requirement, and some are optional as part of the provider’s portfolio and offering.
Functional skills – even if the apprentice can evidence attainment of Mathematics and English through GCSE or O-level certificates, the Department of Education requires apprentices still work to develop their numeracy and literacy skills as part of the wider government agenda in this area. This is quite the area of contention in many areas, but I won’t be opening that can of worms today!

There are six supporting elements – additional learning and support that apprenticeship providers need to provide their apprentices, including:

Safeguarding to ensure the apprentice is safe, not just in the educational setting, but in the workplace and home environments.
Wellbeing and stress management support.
Pastoral support alongside information, advice, and guidance in career information.
General coaching and mentoring regarding the chosen vocation with the assumption that the coach or assessor is occupationally competent in this area.
Digital and green skills (which are likely to have increased emphasis on going forward).
Skills to achieve the tasks at the end point assessment which could include designing and delivering presentations, undergoing professional discussions, handling question and answer sessions, demonstrating competence whilst being observed and the people skills which sit around this such as receiving feedback.

So, as we start to break this framework down further, we can see that there are several skills that Learning and Development teams will spend a huge amount of time, money and effort in developing in the workforce, which actually sits as part of an apprenticeship (as long as the apprenticeship is being delivered to the level and requirements which it should be….)

Apprenticeships are far more than technical certificates or assessment of competencies; they really are about enabling the apprentices to perform in their role, whilst not just learning, but demonstration, new skills, and knowledge, adding value to their job and organisation.

I’ve always described apprenticeships as ‘great learning and development, aligned to a job or occupation’, but maybe as I reflect on this, I should add to this descriptor, ‘whilst providing skills for life’.

So, are apprenticeships just good government PR?

Apprenticeships aren’t the magic bullet, but are certainly underutilised by many organisations.

And if you are surprised by something I have listed in this blogpost or didn’t realise that your apprenticeship provider is (or should be) delivering these wider skills and behaviours, then it’s time to get closer to your programmes and delivery.

My challenge to corporate Learning and Development, HR and Talent Development teams is often, ‘you wouldn’t spend £100k+ on a commercial leadership development, data, engineering, customer service (add your topic here!) learning programmes without clear budgeting, governance, stakeholder buy-in, and clarity of what success looks like, so why do we do it with apprenticeship programmes?’

The ‘hidden’ levy can sometimes be the reason for this, often sitting outside of L&D budgets, or company P&Ls, but I think it has more to do with the L&D fear of apprenticeship complications, educational language, and provider jargon.

The irony here is your apprenticeships could probably deliver a lot of what you are going after in the next three years and provide your workforce with some of those ‘skills for life’, so make sure your L&D strategy is taking advantage of your apprenticeship curricula, and you are cosied up to your apprenticeship providers. As I said before, they really can become your best friend!

Read this blogpost on the TrainingZone.