Apprenticeship Levy must not be used at the expense of younger generation

National Apprenticeship Week, 6-12 February 2023

Many people still wrongly assume apprenticeships are for young people not academic enough to study for university.

Let’s be clear, apprenticeships are open to all ages. At Capital City College Group (CCCG) we currently have more than 800 adults compared to 185 who are aged 16 to 18 who are studying on apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 5.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, £2 billion of the Apprenticeship Levy over the past six years has been used on management apprenticeships for existing staff.

It stated that the number of people starting four popular management apprenticeships had grown tenfold despite apprenticeship starts falling overall with the biggest decline among school leavers.

As London’s largest further education provider, responsible for a fifth of college apprenticeship starts in the capital, we are proud of the number of adults on our apprenticeship training programmes.

It’s great to see apprentices like Laura Gripinska gain promotion at global real estate and investment firm CBRE after achieving a Distinction on her Facilities Management Level 3 Apprenticeship with us.

But at the same time, it’s vital employers do not spend all their levy money on developing existing staff at the expense of the younger generation who are most in need of job training.

You only have to look at two of the past three BBC Masterchef: The Professionals champions, Nikita Pathakji and Alex Webb, who trained with us to see the potential of apprenticeships at a young age.

At CCCG, we know that a lot of companies are still not able to spend the full levy pot, so there is ample to support both new and existing staff if employers and colleges work together.

Employers must play a bigger role in making apprenticeships attractive to young people by providing them with well-structured career plans and offering them incentives, such as the option to progress to a degree apprenticeship and job guarantees.

Adults taking apprenticeships can also play a part by sharing their experience with young people to emphasise that university is not the only route to employment and successful careers.

While it does take more supervisory time to work with a younger apprentice, this is true of any new employee. With the recruitment challenges many organisations are facing, taking time to recruit enthusiastic young people and train them properly has never been more worthwhile.

With little sign of an end of the cost of living crisis, having an actual paid job while studying for a recognised qualification makes an apprenticeship a real option for many people, and businesses should look to capitalise on this to strengthen their workforce.

Last month CCCG was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted across all areas including apprenticeships with inspectors reporting “apprentices gain skills they apply successfully in the workplace.”

Our teachers were recognised for providing useful and helpful feedback on apprentices’ work to help them improve with the standard of their work being good or better. Ofsted also noted how well CCCG and employers plan training programmes and report on apprentices’ progress.

We remain committed to working with employers to produce skilled workers of all ages that employers need now and in the future.

Find out more about our apprenticeships and how we can support you here.

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