Sarah Sillars, the chief executive of Semta — the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies — says that while we are witnessing the dawn of a new age for vocational training, we should take note of past experiences to ensure apprenticeships continue to deliver for employers and employees alike.
“Some 50 years ago, when UK manufacturing was at its employment peak, apprenticeships were the norm and were in demand. In the mid-1960s, around 33% of male school-leavers aged 15-17 entered some form of apprenticeship programme. However, the numbers fell significantly after the 1960s, as various industries themselves declined. There were around 171,000 apprentices in 1968, but just 34,500 in 1990.
“Many put Britain’s industrial decline down to lack of investment. Today, we know there needs to be investment in skills if UK manufacturing and engineering are to compete globally. Moreover, we also have the political drive to rescue over 600,000 16- to 24-year-olds from the unemployment scrapheap.
"We have an apprenticeship renaissance because skills shortages are biting manufacturing companies hard, but apprenticeships can’t be the male preserve of the 1960s. Engineering and manufacturing needs to recruit and train 82,000 engineers, scientists and technicians between now and 2016 to replace retirees and support growth; and both men and women are needed to fill this yawning gap.”
Ms Sillars says the UK currently has the lowest proportion of female engineers in Europe, with just 5% of engineering apprenticeships being started by females and only 21% of the engineering workforce being female.
“That said, the message is getting through that engineering careers offer real money and fantastic opportunities regardless of gender, thanks to award-winning role models such as the MBDA’s Beth Sherbourne, Airbus’s Devon Sumner and BAE Systems’ Jenny Westworth.”
In a recent poll, the Government asked 500 employers to rate the employability of people with different qualifications on a scale of 1-10. The average of all three levels of apprenticeship was 7.36 — some 15% greater than the average for other qualifications, which scored 6.38. Those with a degree-level apprenticeship were rated most desirable at 7.98.
Ms Sillars says these results came as no surprise to Semta, which has worked with leading employers — such as BAE Systems, Jaguar Land Rover and Siemens — to develop Higher Apprenticeships for advanced manufacturing engineering.
“These are designed to provide the manufacturing and engineering sector with high-grade technicians and engineers who have practical skills, combined with a higher-education qualification; and because they are designed in conjunction with employers, they will encourage more companies to recruit apprentices.”
The Higher Apprenticeship in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering is available at Levels 4 and 6 and incorporates academic qualifications such as HNC, HND, foundation degrees and BEng Honours degree. Over a three- to five-year period, the Level 6 Higher Apprenticeship gives apprentices the opportunity to gain Incorporated Engineer status. There are currently seven ‘pathways’, namely: aerospace, nuclear, mechanical, electrical/electronics, automotive, maintenance and wind turbines. Space engineering will be added shortly.
Semta developed the new higher ‘frameworks’ as part of its Apprenticeship Ambition, which aims to double the number of advanced and higher-level apprenticeships within a five-year period by means of a 10-point plan designed to overcome barriers to apprentice recruitment.
“Only 18% of the engineering employers in England have apprentices or offer apprenticeships. Britain needs to compete in world-wide high-added-value high-skills markets. Semta’s Apprenticeship Ambition is already well ahead of target, with almost 10,000 new starts at advanced and higher level last year.
“Part of Semta’s strategy is to make it easier for employers — particularly SMEs — to recruit apprentices, so we have expanded the Semta Apprenticeship Service to work with around 50 colleges and providers. As the sector experts, we are currently working with over 750 apprentices and 100 employers across the UK, providing a wide range of tailored services that can include learner recruitment, programme design and management, plus access to funding and high-quality training providers.
“Semta is determined that under-investment in skills will not blight the future success of UK manufacturing and engineering. We plan to create a new employer group to focus specifically on identifying and overcoming issues that SMEs have regarding apprenticeships. We also plan to develop regional recruitment hubs in partnership with key large employers, and thereby maximise the availability of high-quality applicants.”