58
REPORT APPRENTICESHIPS Special report by Ged Henderson
OPTIMISM IS IN THE AIR
Employees are working to build back better when it comes to the training and skills they will need to emerge from the pandemic.
A poll of businesses in England revealed that 72 per cent of them had plans to hire more apprentices. It also discovered that 70 per cent of them believe apprenticeships and work-based learning will be vital to their organisations’ recovery from Covid and its disruption.
The ‘Build the Future Apprenticeship’ survey of small and large businesses from across the private, public and third sector was carried out by the Open University (OU).
The aim was to understand changing attitudes and approaches to apprenticeships and skills development since the first lockdown.
Laura Burley, the OU’s apprenticeships ambassador, said of the findings, which were
published last year: “It’s encouraging to see that employers are feeling more optimistic about apprenticeships now than at previous stages of the pandemic, and the arrival of the vaccine has certainly brought a sense of hope to what has been a hugely disrupted year.
“But with further pressures and challenges on the horizon, the need to invest in workforces and remain adaptable will continue to be an essential for organisations’ survival for years to come.”
The pandemic has presented training challenges to businesses and providers, with reports that the number of people beginning apprenticeships halved during the first lockdown.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s annual report for 2020-2021 spelled out some of those “unprecedented challenges” for the skills system and their impact.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
It said that people looking to start an apprenticeship, particularly in sectors hit hardest by lockdowns, saw “opportunities evaporate.”
However, it also highlighted how the training sector responded to find solutions to the challenges, including the introduction of online and virtual training. And it reported that more than 50,000 people had completed their apprenticeships despite lockdown.
Looking ahead, the organisation’s chief executive Jennifer Coupland said: “The need for a high quality, employer led skills system has never been greater and we are determined to do all we can to seize this once in a generation opportunity to create the system we need for the future.”
Lancashire businesses of all sizes continue to invest in the skills they need. Defence giant BAE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
