The role of the apprenticeship has undergone a sea change in recent years.  No longer is it seen as the poor relation of the university degree.

There is now significant public support for degree-level apprenticeships as an alternative to the traditional university course, according to research by the Sutton Trust[i], and a growing body of opinion that vocational education’s times has come: young people want it and employers need it. But is there a realistic possibility that tomorrow’s business leaders will be the products of apprenticeships and state schools, rather than Eton and Oxbridge?

Will the Old Boys network really be overtaken by those who start their careers with practical, hands-on study? With the costs of a university education soaring and parents often feeling the financial pinch themselves, especially with several offspring to educate, an apprenticeship undoubtedly has a whole new appeal. Young people who have a clear vision of their future career path, perhaps as a doctor or an academic, will have an equally clear university-based plan.  However, many others will face one of the biggest and most important decisions of their life post GCSE or A-level, and the prospect of learning on-the-job, with a wage, a full-time job, and without a vast debt at the end of it, is fast becoming a more desirable option for young people today.

Statistics released by the House of Commons show that apprenticeships are on the up, with 492,700 apprenticeship starts in the UK in 2014/2015, 52,300 (12%) more compared to the previous year [ii].  The Skills minister, Nick Boles, also commented earlier this year: “I want every young person leaving school to view university degrees and high-level apprenticeships as different, but equally valid, choices.  Apprenticeships allow all school leavers the chance to fulfil their potential through taking the next step that best suits their skills and ambition [iii]”.

The Government has certainly been doing its bit to encourage apprenticeships, too – with the announcement that a new apprenticeship levy of 0.5% will be introduced to large businesses in April 2017 in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.   David Cameron has shared his plans to increase the number of apprentice programmes that big businesses offer, and companies bidding for Government contracts in excess of £10m will in the future have to show a ‘reasonable proportion’ of apprentices on their payroll.

Here at HIT Training, we believe the Government changes will ultimately benefit business owners and managers, who nurture home-grown talent at all levels, boosting the bottom-line and off-setting the levy payments to generate an engaged and skilled workforce for the future. Our role at HIT is to develop our students’ personal, economic and social status through the delivery of relevant, valued, apprenticeships in an industry which, despite currently experiencing growth across the board, reports significant skills gaps at all levels.  For many young people an apprenticeship will be the best possible entry to the jobs market, allowing them to train on-the-job, identify where their specific skills and enthusiasm lie, and build a successful career from solid foundations.  The Hospitality Industry has long been an equal opportunities sector too, which as a woman in business I feel strongly about.

With strong Government support, and careers advisers now less inclined to view apprenticeships as second rate or inferior to degree courses, the apprenticeship is having a significant resurgence.  However, there is still more to be done to encourage equal opportunities for apprentices in all sectors.  There has certainly been a rise in female apprentices in the last ten years, but research shows that more than 70% of girls thought that they were most suited to careers in beauty, childminding, nursing or education [iv] – the traditional ‘female sectors’.  Laudable career options all, but what about engineering, waste management, cheffing, or the energy sector to name just a few other options?

A number of organisations are working hard to redress this imbalance, including the National STEM Centre, WISE, and major companies including British Gas, but with statistics like these more clearly needs to be done.  The lack of interest and innovation on the part of some educators, although by no means all, also needs to be redressed. Apprenticeships are certainly gaining traction but will need more power before they overtake the conventional degree-based path to take pole position on the career track.”  

www.hittraining.co.uk