A voice for apprentices

Dave Thompson was an advanced apprentice when he decided to set up the Humber Apprentice Panel to help apprentices communicate with each other and share their views with providers and other organisations. JAN NOVITZKY spoke to Dave about the work of the panel, its achievements so far and the challenges it has faced

erience with others in a similar position? The answer for Dave Thompson, who was undertaking an advanced apprenticeship in customer service and was already an active member of the Regional Learner Panel for Yorkshire and the Humber, was to create a forum for apprentices to get together, share views and possible solutions. In March 2007, Dave set up the Humber Apprentice Panel (HAP), which, until recently, was the only forum exclusively for apprentices in the UK (the Young Apprentice Ambassador Network was launched last year). By creating this unique panel, Dave

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and his fellow apprentices have been able to communicate with and influence key government organisations, third party stake- holders and even ministers. The panel is an active, diverse group of learners who are real ambassadors for apprenticeships, with input into the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Learner Panel and the National Learner Panel. It gives learners the opportunity to gain more confidence in discussing their futures and putting across their views on apprenticeships, as well as developing their communication and debating skills, giving apprentices in the region a real voice for the first time. I spoke to Dave, who is employed as an information and communication admin- istrator by the Consortium for Learning, an organisation which aims to increase participation in work-based learning in the Humber, and is now a member of the National Learner Panel, about the achievements of the Humber Apprentice Panel, the challenges it

18 ADULTS LEARNING JANUARY 2011

hat do you do if you are an apprentice with concerns or issues? How do you go about discussing your learning exp-

has faced and the priorities for apprentices in the future.

What do you consider your greatest achievement as a panel? In January 2008, HAP joined with members of the National Learner Panel to input into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ apprenticeships review. BIS was keen to work with panel members to identify how apprenticeship expansion might be achieved. Through a combination of presentations and discussions, panel members highlighted the key concerns they had regarding the current apprentice situation and identified a set of recommendations for improvement going forward. One of these recommendations was an increase to the minimum wage for apprentices. The following August, we were thrilled to see the minimum wage rise from £80 per week to £95 per week. Since then a national minimum hourly wage of £2.50 has been introduced. HAP was involved in these discussions also.

What activities have you been involved in? HAP creates an opportunity for apprentices to have their say on national policy through posts on the forum. That enables me, as the facilitator of HAP, to take up issues nationally on their behalf. Members of HAP have met with a range of

key organisations with a view to improving the apprentice experience. We have worked with the Learning and Skills Council at national and regional level on policy development. We have met with the National Apprentice Service and HAP helped redevelop the national website: www.apprenticeships.org.uk.

HAP members have met with Ofsted on

a number of occasions and have supported changes to Ofsted’s inspection routine, to enable the voice of apprentices to be heard. HAP met with Becta, the government

agency leading on the use of technology in learning, to discuss how technological developments could support learner voice. The HAP website and forum had been seen as an example of good practice and has since featured as a case study on the Becta website. HAP regularly liaises with Becta on new and innovative ways of using technology. In addition, the HAP website provides

apprentices with opportunities to share good practice with their provider or employer. The site is all about inspiring the apprentice to have a greater say and play a bigger part in their learning process.

What about local influence? We assist with the sub-regional Apprentice- ship Handbook, which has been developed by the Consortium for Learning, a network organisation for work-based learning provid- ers. We also annually review their unique school engagement workshop and the Advanced Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony. We have assisted Labour Market Information Humber to develop an informative newsletter for young people.

What is the biggest challenge for the panel? Not all apprentices spend a lot of time with their training providers as they are mostly in the workplace. This means that catching them at a convenient time can be difficult. The difficulty has been getting the message out there to the apprentices, as we don’t have any