ECA News Government urged to protect apprenticeship ‘brand’
THE GOVERNMENT MUST not allow apprenticeships to become ‘dumbed down’, if they are to remain a credible alternative to degrees, claimed ECA skills ambassador Diane Johnson as she called on government to stop playing politics with the qualifi cations system. Johnson said: ‘A university degree can be a valuable asset to a career, but it’s not the only option, or even the best choice for all young people. Not everyone wants or can afford to go to university, where they could rack up thousands of pounds of debt without a guarantee of a job at the end. Apprenticeships offer a bona fi de alternative route to employment and have done so for decades.’ However, Johnson warned:
‘All too often, vocational training is seen as the poor relation to academia. If apprenticeships are to remain a credible alternative to a degree, we need to value them and government needs to stop “dumbing down” standards for political reasons.’ Johnson said: ‘The government is placing a renewed focus on apprenticeships to reduce youth unemployment, and more fi rms are offering this option to school leavers. But without setting fi rmer standards for training, we face a situation where anything “non-academic” is badged as an apprenticeship. We can’t compare courses that are more like work experience, to quality training programmes that offer a skill for life.’ ‘Unless the government establishes a protected apprenticeship “brand”
that defi nes quality training, the reputation of apprenticeships will be severely damaged. They won’t be seen as a credible alternative, leaving young people with fewer choices for their future. It’s not fair to school leavers, and it’s not fair to industries like construction which have offered quality apprenticeships for decades.’ Johnson said: ‘We are facing a
perfect storm: creating a generation of unemployed, indebted young people, living in a country that faces a future skills shortage – all so the government can claim it has reduced youth unemployment. We need to value our apprentices and protect the quality of their training. This would turn the situation around and leave a lasting skills legacy that our country can be proud of.’
Cash-in-hand culture condemned ECA issues PAT warning
THE ECA HAS CONDEMNED TRADESPEOPLE who take cash-in-hand payments to avoid paying VAT, saying they are cheating the country out of millions of pounds and undercutting law abiding businesses. However, the ECA believes comments by
Treasury minister David Gauke should reopen the debate on the rate of VAT paid on vital construction work, in an effort to curb the informal economy while sparking genuine growth during tough times. Steve Bratt, ECA CEO said: ‘Tradespeople seeking to avoid tax through back hand cash payments must be stamped out. Not only does “paying under the table” leave customers with no recourse should something go wrong, it denies the country millions in tax revenue. The Cut the VAT Coalition,
of which the ECA is a member, estimates that in 2010, around £9.3 billion worth of maintenance and repair work was carried out on homes through the informal economy – a signifi cant loss to the Treasury. However, this demonstrates the huge demand that legitimate businesses could capitalise on. In these tough times, the Treasury needs to take bold action to support that business growth by reducing VAT to fi ve per cent for key sectors – such as repairs and maintenance. This action alone could drive the economy forward substantially.’ Bratt continued: ‘A cut in VAT to fi ve per cent could encourage homeowners to undertake repair work, and even upgrade their properties with some of the green technologies that are being incentivised as part of the government’s sustainability agenda. This would help the consumer as well as the thousands of businesses involved in this work. A tax cut would also level the playing fi eld and undermine the growing black economy of cowboy operators who knock off VAT for cash payment, so undercutting bona fi de professionals.’
14 ECA Today September 2012
THE ECA HAS WARNED THAT POOR INTERPRETATION OF Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) could result in a drop in electrical safety standards in the workplace. Misinterpretation of the new guidelines could lead some businesses to underestimate the risk of electrical fault, shock and fi re, or lose sight of the need for ongoing electrical inspection and maintenance.
The HSE’s recent guidance says that in many everyday situations, a competent, visual inspection of plugs and leads may be enough to ensure electrical safety. However, Paul Reeve, head of Business Policy at the ECA has expressed concern, saying: ‘The HSE is keen to show how PAT can be done cost- effectively, and we welcome their practical approach. However, businesses still need to be aware of the risk of faulty electrical equipment, and how to manage that risk properly.’ The ECA says that to ensure the safety of portable electrical appliances, businesses need: A good understanding of the risk from portable electrical equipment, taking into account what the equipment does and, importantly, how it is used; On-going, risk-based portable appliance inspection, visual or otherwise, carried out by competent people; and Knowledge of what to do when inspection fi nds problems with leads or equipment. Reeve continued: ‘Electrical inspection remains vitally important to personal safety and fi re prevention. Competent electrical contractors can help businesses to get the balance right for a practical, cost-effective approach to PAT which will help to ensure electrical safety at work.’
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