Workplace trainers say government is keeping apprentices from full-time work

Office instruction providers in England have accused the govt of protecting against an approximated sixty two,000 apprentices from taking up full-time employment by refusing to relax the policies for the maths and English assessments required to qualify.

The Affiliation of Work and Learning Companies, the field trade human body, mentioned the Department for Instruction has unsuccessful to act inspite of repeated warnings that restrictions imposed throughout pandemic were being causing a logjam, with employers suffering capabilities shortages as a result.

Apprentices are unable to sit their last assessments because the govt has refused to relax the policy that they should be examined at their position of get the job done by exterior invigilators, who are prevented from attending because of coronavirus restrictions.

“AELP has been lobbying the capabilities minister Gillian Keegan for months on this concern,” handling director Jane Hickie mentioned. “She acknowledges there is an concern now but we continue to haven’t arrived at a alternative. If we experienced been talking about GCSEs and A amounts, motion would have been taken.”

The trade human body estimate of the backlog, centered on a survey of its 600 members, is nearly 4 situations bigger than the most current official govt facts, which the FT acquired through a Freedom of Information and facts ask for.

Skills minister Gillian Keegan acknowledges there is an concern now but we continue to haven’t arrived at a alternative. If we experienced been talking about GCSEs and A amounts, motion would have been taken

The DfE place the quantity of apprenticeships “past their close date” in November at 16,four hundred but mentioned not all of these were being because of trainees currently being unable to comprehensive their maths and English assessments, recognised as useful ability qualification assessments or FSQs.

It mentioned it experienced responded to the issue with a quantity of steps, such as extending the window in which apprentices could sit the test and suspending some demands. “Where useful capabilities qualification assessments have been disrupted we launched many flexibilities to relieve some of the quick time pressures such as extending the dates for legacy FSQs till 31 July,” the DfE mentioned in a assertion.

Ms Hickie mentioned she was “staggered” that the govt was continue to insisting on office screening when they are both shut or exterior site visitors, these types of as invigilators, are not allowed in, adding: “Does it pay attention to the main health-related officer?”

The AELP and other education bodies have provided choices to apparent the apprentice backlog, such as assessments related to these allowed for GCSE and A level pupils last calendar year.

City & Guilds, which provides vocational assessment and accreditation for apprenticeships, is now running trials for remote screening and has recently opened three screening centres in London, Birmingham and Bristol.

David Phillips, City & Guilds handling director, mentioned that inspite of attempts by the further education sector to get the job done with the govt and regulator the backlog was continuing to grow. “Despite all of these interventions, tens of hundreds of learners have been unable to comprehensive their useful capabilities skills considering the fact that the pandemic began, with this quantity escalating all the time.”

Businesses have complained of capabilities shortages as a result of currently being unable to release apprentices into employment unsupervised because they have not concluded their instruction.

Sam Morris, the studying and enhancement manager at Dwelling from Dwelling Care, a care property network for grown ups with studying issues centered in Lincolnshire, mentioned the firm has 63 apprentices on a payroll of about four hundred.

These trainees selection from individuals instruction to be care staff to these seeking to shift up to supervisor roles. About 30 per cent of them need to comprehensive their maths and English assessments.

“It is inhibiting their progress,” Mr Morris mentioned. “Testing maths and English capabilities is not a little something you can do remotely. You need anyone seeking you in the eye.”

He included that with out a lot more skilled personnel, the company’s plans to expand its functions have been held back again.