Thousands of people are dropping out of apprenticeships every year as employers fail to provide adequate levels of training, a think tank has found.
It found that almost half (47%) of apprentices are dropping out before completing their course, with 70% of those who drop out airing concerns about the quality of their apprenticeship. This is equivalent to around 115,000 apprentices per year.
Almost 348,000 people started apprenticeships in the 2021-22 academic year, which is an increase on the previous year.
The EDSK think tank looked into the quality of apprenticeships offered since the Richard Review was commissioned 10 years ago, hailing apprenticeships as a package of reforms that would revolutionise employer-led training.
Its review has found that “the apprenticeship system is still littered with low-skill roles masquerading as apprenticeships even though they clearly do not require substantial training”, with examples including schemes in the hospitality and retail sectors that teach learners to “serve pre-cooked meals” or “push around a drinks and snacks trolley”.
The think tank’s research also found that many employers continue to use apprenticeship funding to upskill existing staff – something the Richard Review claimed was poor value for money. More than 40% of apprentices in 2020/21 had been with their employer for more than a year before starting their apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeship levy flexibility would unlock retail skills investment
The most popular apprenticeship scheme in England is a training programme to become a team leader, taken by 90,000 learners in the past five years, it found. Employers can access £4,500 in funding for each employee enrolled on this course, even though they can purchase a similar programme outside of the apprenticeship system for around £1,300.
Formal apprenticeship schemes require participants to use one day per week (or 20% of their working time) off the job to receive teaching and training. However, EDSK found that many apprentices get less than the minimum requirement. Some received no training at all, or watched online lectures or did “homework” as part of their allocated time.
“If A-level or university students were dropping out in such large numbers or reporting similar complaints then it would be a national scandal. On that basis, there is no justification for tens of thousands of apprentices having to tolerate such a disheartening experience,” the report said.
“While an ‘employer-led’ approach to apprenticeships was a valid aim, the evidence strongly suggests that many employers are either unable or unwilling to offer apprentices a high-quality experience.”
EDSK offers seven recommendations for creating a better experience for apprentices and to improve the system:
- The government should publicly restate its commitment to high-quality apprenticeships that benefit learners as well as employers, as per the definition in the Richard Review.
- There should be a “common and transparent” understanding of the training that apprentices will receive, with employers required to produce a training curriculum for participants.
- Every new training curriculum must include a minimum of 300 hours of off-the-job training in every year of the apprenticeship.
- A minimum of 200 of those hours should be delivered face-to-face, with time spent on homework or other assignments no longer counted as training.
- The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education should be redesigned as a collaborative partnership.
- The government should hand responsibility for approving and inspecting apprenticeship providers to a new body known as the National Apprenticeship Inspectorate (they are currently inspected by Ofsted).
- The traineeship programme should be expanded so there are clear progression routes into high-quality apprenticeships, with a bursary of £100 a week introduced to help trainees with food and transport expenses.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Earlier this month the CBI called for the chancellor to reform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible skills fund for employers.
