Scrutton Bland Education Newsletter - Autumn 2016

Apprenticeships

Digital Apprenticeship Service (July 2016) The Department of Business,

Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) are in the process of delivering a new digital apprenticeship service with the intent of increasing the quality and number of apprenticeships. The first strand of the service will go live in August 2016 with the intention of the complete service going live in April 2017. The service will enable employers to: • Hire apprentices. • Select the most appropriate training for their apprentices. • Find the most suitable training provider. • Understanding what funding is available, including whether the Apprenticeship Levy applies to them and Manage their training costs.

Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education Sainsbury Review (April 2016) This review proposes to introduce a system of technical education with 15 new ‘pathfinder’ routes, four of which will be delivered via apprenticeships. The proposed reforms will enable students to decide whether they want to take an academic or technical pathway, once they have completed their GCSEs. It is intended that the first route will be in practice by September 2019 and will be a two year college based programme aimed at people aged 16 and over as well as prospective students aged 19+. It is planned that all 15 routes will be fully implemented by 2022. The Post-16 Skills Plan reported that the Institute for Apprenticeships will be fully functioning by April 2017 and will be renamed Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in April 2018. The review states that due to the lack of technical education, there is now a serious skills shortage within the UK. To combat this major problem the report sets out four key features that must be put in place in order to achieve a labour market-orientated system of technical education: • Industry experts must specify the knowledge and skills, and methods of assessment for each qualification. • The system should provide young people with clear educational routes which lead to employment in specific occupations. • Short, flexible bridging provisions should be developed to enable individuals who believe they have made the wrong decision to move between the academic and technical education options in either direction, and to support adults returning to study. • Individuals who are not ready to access a technical education route at age 16 (or older if their education has been delayed) should be offered a flexible transition year tailored to their prior attainment and aspirations. The report outlines 34 recommendations that must be implemented in order to reform technical education for the long term. The Government has accepted all of the recommendations within the Post-16 Skills Plan.

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