Offering
a new trainee a ‘buddy’ (a more experienced trainee who befriends them) or
mentor, will make it more likely that the they will attain their work-based
qualifications, according to a new study.
Successful
Learning at Work, a national report published by the Adult Learning
Inspectorate (ALI), looks at effective methods for guiding people through
work-based learning.
It
found that there are 280,000 people in publicly-funded work-based training in England,
often in the form of a modern apprenticeship or as part of an NVQ
qualification.
The
learners are usually aged between 16 and 25 and without good quality learning
at work they can become demotivated and give up – becoming unemployed or
drifting from one unskilled job to another.
Other
examples of good practice include regular long- and short-term goal setting,
offering learners challenges that develop their skills and confidence, and
training that has been well planned.
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Philip
Hatton, inspector with the ALI and author of the report said: "Simple
changes to the way a young person training is handled can make all the
difference between them [attaining] their qualifications and giving up at an
early stage."