QUA0016
Written Evidence submitted by YMCA England and Wales
1.1 Young people today are facing an increasingly volatile job market as they struggle to make the transition from education to sustained employment.
1.2 While the inherent disadvantages young people face with as a result of their low experience levels is by no means new, their situation today is compounded by an education and skills system that is failing to equip them with the skills that employers need.
1.3 Much has been written about the need to make the apprenticeship system work for employers and the economy. However, it is important that the views of the young people who undertake them are heard in shaping any future arrangements.
1.4 The success of the apprenticeship system, therefore, requires young people to be seen not just as passive recipients, but also as valid stakeholders. It requires their voices being listened to and their experiences utilised as the Government continues to progress its reforms.
1.5 Speaking to young people who have been on an apprenticeship reveals their benefits, and highlights the very real successes that they have achieved as a result of undertaking it.
1.6 However, it also reveals some of the difficulties they experienced along the way. These difficulties represent both the barriers to success and barriers others face when trying to undertake an apprenticeship.
1.7 They represent the areas on which Governments must focus if they are to create a system that offers everyone the opportunity to find sustained employment and the opportunity to progress throughout their career.
2.1 “To be honest, it’s made me want to achieve more. Before, I kind of felt ‘oh if I get a job, it’s a job, it’ll pay the bills’… Because I am still young, it’s not made me think this is enough, I want to stop here. It’s made me want to strive harder and be even better.” Fiona, 23, Nottinghamshire
2.2 Apprenticeships are proving to be a positive experience for the majority of young people undertaking them, providing opportunities to gain the vital knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the workplace and progress in their chosen careers.
2.3 Indeed, four fifths of young people (79%) reported being satisfied with their experience of apprenticeships and said that, based on their own experience, they would recommend doing an apprenticeship to someone else (80%).
2.4 The most notable benefit reported from young people is an increase in their confidence levels. Many reported initially feeling nervous or shy, both around others and within the workplace more generally.
2.5 Undertaking an apprenticeship afforded these individuals the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence within a supportive environment, enabling them to make the transition into full-time and sustained employment.
2.6 The benefits of apprenticeships are also evidenced by the fact that more than three quarters of young people said that going on an apprenticeship helped improve their skills and knowledge (91%), their ability to do their job (78%), as well as their overall career prospects (82%).
2.7 Given that more than three quarters of young people currently in employment said that completing an apprenticeship improved their responsibilities at work (77%), their job satisfaction (78%) and security (74%), and their salary (81%), it is also clear that apprenticeships are having a long-term benefit for the majority of those participating in them.
2.8 Accordingly, apprenticeships are also providing a successful antidote to the barriers faced by this generation of young people when finding employment, as almost four in five young people (79%) reported that they were offered a job at the end of their apprenticeship.
2.9 The success of apprenticeships in helping young people progress is further illustrated by the fact that only one in 20 young people (5%) interviewed reported being unemployed after having completed an apprenticeship.
2.10 However, speaking to young people also reveals a number of significant barriers and shortcomings within the existing apprenticeship system. These are hindering young people’s chances of success and, in some cases, even preventing others from starting an apprenticeship.
3.1 “It was ‘find external training courses and go on those’ or it was ‘YouTube it’, because there were no lessons on how to do it. In my opinion, that’s kind of the whole point of an apprenticeship. You get taught how to do it and then you do it.” Poppy, 21, Norfolk
3.2 Apprenticeships are designed to combine both on and off-the-job training, providing young people with the opportunity to earn a qualification while gaining practical experience.
3.3 However, despite this, almost a quarter of former apprentices (24%) said they found it difficult to balance the study and work elements of their apprenticeship.
3.4 While minimum standards on guided learning hours are in place, speaking to young people highlights how varied apprenticeships can be, and the different formats that they take.
3.5 It is recognised that an element of difference is to be expected, given the range of subjects and levels of apprenticeships being undertaken. However, these different formats can have a profound effect on the experience of an apprentice. This effect includes the ease with which they balance the work and study elements of their apprenticeship.
3.6 The primary factor underlying an apprentice’s experience tends to be the priority the employer places on studying. As such, experiences tend to differ between those apprentices who are given designated study days in college; those who are given designated time at work to complete their studies; those who are expected to fit studying in around their day-to-day tasks in working hours; and those who are expected to complete their studies in their personal time outside of work hours.
3.7 Those young people with designated study days generally reported the most ease with balancing work and study, as the two elements were clearly distinguished and they were able to access support and advice around their studies. This was both from tutors and from peers.
3.8 While isolated cases existed in which young people reported pressure from employers not to attend their college days, in general, these apprentices reported a high priority given to study by their employers, which allowed them to manage their time more easily, meet both sets of commitments and gain the necessary skills and qualifications.
3.9 The extent of the problem in balancing work and study is illustrated by the fact that more than a third of young people (34%) said they would have liked to have spent more time studying.
3.10 In addition, the same proportion of young people (34%) also said that apprenticeships could be enhanced by improving the quality of the study element.
3.11 Both creating a balance between work and study and ensuring quality is embedded in the system requires effective communication between the employer and the training provider to ensure that the needs of young people are met.
3.12 The problems faced when trying to balance work and study are often compounded in instances when young people have to undertake additional courses in functional skills in order to meet recent government standards.
3.13 Often, young people undertaking these courses in English, maths and ICT reported receiving little support, and instead were made to undertake independent study on top of their apprenticeship work.
3.14 While a drive to improve standards is welcomed, it is clear that such requirements are putting an additional burden on young people that many are struggling to cope with.
3.15 Given that many of these individuals did not manage to achieve an A*-C GCSE result in these subjects while in full-time education and with teacher support, it seems that distance learning provided on top of employment and studying time is unlikely to prove successful for the majority. This is particularly true when employers fail to support the young person and account for the additional time that functional skills courses require.
Recommendations:
Requiring designated and structured study time within apprentices’ working hours Employers, and, where appropriate, training providers, should be required to set out and agree with apprentices the breakdown between work and study time and how these should be structured, within an enhanced Apprenticeship Agreement. Facilitating young people to develop their functional skills alongside their apprenticeship Schools should be provided with additional funding to provide early interventions and targeted support for young people not meeting national attainment levels in functional skills. Employers should be required to provide young people undertaking functional skills courses with designated and structured study time, in addition to their standard study time. |
Support and advice
4.1 “In school, it was like you had to go to college and you had to go to uni. So apprenticeships were seen for the people who didn’t have brains to go and do. I don’t think that’s right, it’s just a different skill.” Catherine, 18, Swansea
4.2 Despite the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship being widely recognised by those who have completed them, they are still not being presented as a valid route to work to many young people.
4.3 As such, conversations around post-16 options for young people continue to be dominated by talk of pathways towards university, as many young people fail to receive the support and advice they need in school to pursue an apprenticeship.
4.4 This is illustrated by the fact that only 4% of young people undertook an apprenticeship because their school suggested that they did.
4.5 Critically, therefore, there currently exists a disconnect between the Government’s attempt to increase apprenticeship starts, and the information and professional advice given to young people about the range of opportunities available to them.
4.6 Indeed, in many cases, those who wanted to undertake an apprenticeship reported a feeling of being ‘pushed aside’ at school, as teachers and professional careers advisors focused on those individuals who wanted to apply to university, to the detriment of other young people.
4.7 Fewer than one in four young people reported receiving support and advice on their apprenticeship from a teacher or lecturer (22%), or from a careers advisor (17%).
4.8 Instead, more than three in five young people (63%) found out about their options using the internet, and more than a third (36%) from their friends and family.
4.9 While both the internet and friends and family can be valid and useful sources of information, they should never have to act as a replacement for professional advice and support.
4.10 In addition, while friends and family can provide useful information when they have prior experience of navigating the apprenticeship system, often, this is not the case, and the advice given is either uninformed or out-dated.
4.11 While often unintentional, receiving insufficient, unreliable or out-dated advice can lead to a young person entering on to an unsuitable course, which does not fully match their needs, expectations or ambitions.
4.12 Young people relying on friends and family for advice, and support in some cases, will also have to navigate the stereotypes and negative preconceptions that so often accompany apprenticeships.
4.13 Indeed, speaking to young people reveals countless tales of encountering disappointed family members, friends and teachers when they decided to pursue an apprenticeship.
4.14 While the majority found that this disappointment subsided once they began their course and illustrated the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship, the initial negativity can be a barrier for young people, especially if they lack confidence.
4.15 The negativity experienced by young people illustrates that while the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship are evident, they continue to be seen as a ‘second class’ option for many, or even no option at all.
4.16 The need for more information is illustrated by the fact that more than a third of young people (34%) felt more could be done to improve the amount of support and advice available to them prior to undertaking an apprenticeship.
4.17 However, the information given to young people should also extend beyond that given by traditional careers advisors.
4.18 Instead, professional careers advice should be supplemented with information given by employers and training providers about the realities of working and studying, and the opportunities available.
4.19 It is important, therefore, that the responsibility of informing young people is not placed solely on schools and colleges, but instead, an obligation is also placed on employers and training providers to actively engage and enter into educational institutions, helping to promote apprenticeships and encourage participation.
4.20 In addition, employers should work with schools to provide quality work experience opportunities to young people, allowing them to gain an insight into their chosen career before committing to undertake an apprenticeship.
Wages and Living costs
4.21 “Any money I had, I had to pay for my own food, electric, rent and all that. Everything I had went out. I’d end up with like a fiver in my pocket at the end of the week.” Marcus, 20, Cheshire
4.22 Almost two thirds of young people (63%) said the reason they undertook an apprenticeship was because it was an opportunity to get paid while learning, making it the primary motivator for young people.
4.23 Speaking to young people reveals that a young person’s ability to live on the apprenticeship wage was very much dependent on their circumstances. However, the extent of the problem is illustrated by the fact that only just over a third of former apprentices (35%) said the salary they received enabled them to afford their basic living costs.
4.24 Many of those who were unable to rely on family support reported increased levels of difficulty, as their wages have to cover basic necessities including rent and utility bills. Importantly, this included both those who lived independently and those who lived at home but had to contribute to household bills and costs.
4.25 Those facing financial pressures were sometimes forced to undertake part-time or weekend work alongside their apprenticeship, adding to the burden placed on a young apprentice and putting them at a disadvantage to their counterparts.
4.26 In other instances, young people forego apprenticeships altogether, as financial pressures force them down alternative paths.
4.27 The wages young people receive and the costs they accrue must also be viewed in regards to the work that they undertake.
4.28 Speaking to young people reveals that many are being asked to take on increasing levels of responsibility, sometimes equivalent to that undertaken by other full-time members of staff for significantly lower wages. These additional responsibilities are often combined with a reduction in the time given to a young person to undertake their studies, meaning that this element has to be undertaken in their personal time outside normal working hours.
4.29 The extent of the problem is illustrated by the fact that fewer than half of young people (44%) believed the salary they got as an apprentice was reasonable for the work they did and the training they received.
4.30 This is important, given that more than two in five former apprentices (42%) said that they thought the reason that their employer hired apprentices was to keep costs down, and one in five (19%) said it was to access grants and funding linked to apprenticeships and to fill staff shortages.
4.31 The impressions of young people are likely linked to the fact that more than one in five former apprentices (22%) said that they did not feel valued by their employer while undertaking their apprenticeship.
4.32 However, while low wages are intended to be a temporary measure while undergoing training, in a number of cases, young people are failing to realise the benefit of an increase in salary in the first few years after completing an apprenticeship.
4.33 Accordingly, nearly a quarter of young people (23%) reported not earning any more now than they did before their apprenticeship. Young people are less likely to be willing to undertake an apprenticeship if there is no perceived, or actual, longer-term financial benefit.
Recommendations: Providing improved access to specialist careers advice and information relating to apprenticeships Careers guidance within schools and colleges should be provided by professional advisors. Employers and training providers of apprentices from the local community should be brought into schools and colleges more frequently to advise students. Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches should be provided with improved training and information on apprenticeships. Parents, guardians and carers should be provided with targeted information and materials on apprenticeships to help advise young people about their post-16 progression routes.
Extending work experience opportunities to better prepare young people for apprenticeships Young people should be guaranteed access to at least three weeks of meaningful work experience while at school.
Developing further campaigns to promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges Schools and colleges should be given materials to run activities and campaigns to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. Offering targeted discounts to young apprentices to help with basic living costs. Employers should offer employee benefits to apprentices, such as subsidised food and health discount schemes, where these are in place. The Government should provide all apprentices with details of national discount schemes, such as the NUS Apprenticeships Discount Card and Young Person’s Railcard. Transport providers should provide free or heavily discounted travel schemes across their networks and different forms of public transport, for all young people undertaking an apprenticeship.
Ensuring apprentices are appropriately remunerated for the work they undertake The Government should take targeted action against organisations paying below the National Apprentice Minimum Wage. Employers should ensure that any additional responsibilities taken on by a young person are reflected in their salary, and that these work requirements do not negatively impact the time afforded to the study element of an apprenticeship.
Highlighting the financial benefits to young people undertaking an apprenticeship The Government should commission a study examining the benefits of completing an apprenticeship.
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5.1 While the Government’s attempts to increase the number of apprenticeships is welcomed, it is clear that inherent weaknesses exist in the system. These are hindering the experiences of young apprentices and, importantly, acting as a barrier to participation for others.
5.2 Addressing these weaknesses requires quality to be embedded into the system. It requires a partnership between different stakeholders and it requires the needs of young people being met.
5.3 In order to achieve this, the voices of young people must be listened to, their experiences must be respected, and their recommendations must be implemented.
5.4 To be truly effective, both economically and socially, the apprenticeship system must be one that works for all. It must be from which no one is excluded or deterred based on background or personal circumstance.
December 2017