APP0069

Written evidence submitted by The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths

Apprentice Masterpiece Articulated Jewel in 18 Carat Gold             

Apprentice Masterpiece Scale Model of Swiss Chalet in Silver

Context of Submission

1. The Goldsmiths’ Company is commenting on the “quality of, and minimum standards for apprenticeships” in response to the Sub-Committee’s request for written submissions on this subject.
    

Executive Summary

• The Goldsmiths’ Company has been supporting indentured apprenticeships for over seven hundred years;
• Its apprentices work towards the equivalent of a NVQ Level 4/5 City & Guilds qualification over the duration of their training (up to five years);
• The Goldsmiths’ Company programme is funded charitably, receives no Government funding, and is not a statutory Apprenticeship;
• Apprentices trained through the programme regularly win competitions at a national level and represent the UK on the World Skills arena;
• Our sector, along with many other craft sectors, offers training and working opportunities to people suffering from high levels of dyslexia and dyspraxia. This means that the achievement of mainstream functional skills qualifications is a challenge and one that we do not enforce on our trainees;
• Our contention is that training of this quality should continue to be recognized as an Apprenticeship, despite the exclusion of functional skills qualifications;
• In its Enterprise Bill or by other means, the Government could provide for a new classification of “Livery Apprenticeship” to allow these high quality outcomes to be recognized more widely, and potentially to access SFA funding;
• This could be achieved by a definition of a Livery Apprenticeship based upon a minimum period of time (e.g. 2 years including accredited prior learning) and minimum level of technical qualification (Level 3).

Background

2. The Goldsmiths’ Company has been offering contracted (indentured) ‘Apprenticeships’ for over seven hundred years, with records of indentures going back to the 15th Century. Its apprentices, who are not eligible for Government funding, undertake a four or five year apprenticeship with a master goldsmith. During their ‘time’ they also undertake day release and work towards their City & Guilds Professional Recognition Award (PRA), a NVQ Level 4/5 equivalent qualification. The scheme is funded solely through the Goldsmiths’ Company’s charitable resources. While every effort has been made to embed Government Apprentice Frameworks and funding within the scheme, this has not proved to be possible; hence the lack of formal (statutory) recognition.

3. A major barrier for some of our trainees is the requirement for them to achieve functional skills qualifications as a required element of mainstream Frameworks. Although some young people arrive with the prerequisite GCSEs to obviate the need for these, a large percentage, e.g. 40%, struggle with a variety of problems such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. The Goldsmiths’ Company strongly believes that these youngsters should not be discriminated against: they often go on to have exemplary careers as skilled craftspeople without having been forced to achieve a paper-based qualification that effectively discriminates against them because of their medical conditions.

4. The Goldsmiths’ Company has contributed intellectually and financially to the development of National Occupational Standards for the sector, its Apprenticeship Frameworks, and the new Craft Trailblazer project. The Company‘s programme is recognised by the industry as the ‘gold standard’ of apprenticeships within the sector. Our apprentices regularly win the annual UKSKILLS competition, with one recently representing the UK at World Skills 2015 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he secured a ‘medal of excellence’, coming 8th in the world in the Fine Diamond Mounting competition.

5. We believe that the quality of training offered and the level of outcomes achieved justify the creation of a special category of “Livery Apprenticeship” by the Government. The creation of such employer-based provision where functional skills qualifications are not a requirement would allow the Goldsmiths’ Company and the wider Livery to further develop their Apprenticeship offer in a sustainable manner that contributes to the challenging volumetric target that the Government has set for itself.

6. A model that recognised the duration of training undertaken, along with a minimum level of technical qualification, would by default lead to a quality apprenticeship experience for the learner despite the absence of a functional skills qualification requirement.

Recommendations

7. The Goldsmiths’ Company asks that the Sub-Committee consider the following points:
    

• There is a strong case for an alternative definition of an Apprenticeship in which functional skills qualifications are not a core requirement and which could allow apprentices to secure SFA funding where alternative quality thresholds were met;

• The Livery model of delivery via indentured apprenticeships not only has a long and proven history but is a valid and important approach to the vocational training of young people today and in the future, and

• The formalisation of the “Livery” model of apprenticeships might be recommended to Government as the outcome of this Sub-Committee’s review.

March 2016