With more materials delivered online, they would be able to reduce the amount of time they spent physically in classrooms.


Stumbling


However, he told the BESA webinar that colleges had adopted online learning with “varying degrees of success” and cautioned that “IT poverty” could be a stumbling block.


“The move to online learning during the crisis had to


be put in place in just a few days when normally it would have taken a couple of years to plan and implement,” he said. “A lot of learners are going to need more support with the kit they need to access their teaching.” IT poverty was the focus of a survey carried out by BESA, which revealed considerable regional inequalities. It showed that some apprentices were in danger of falling behind their peers because of limited access to the right kind of computer hardware and IT support. The variable quality of rural broadband was also a problem.


“The lockdown period was an excellent testing ground for the new remote teaching model,” said Ms Yeulet. “In theory, it should have been the perfect time for apprentices to catch up on course work and planning, but in practice it was not quite so easy.” She explained BESA decided to carry out a full survey when it became clear that some apprentices were trying to work on smart phones.


“The issue is not just the equipment, however, but also around internet access, which is as much about geography as funding. It is imperative that the IT issue does not exacerbate regional and economic inequalities.”


The survey uncovered considerable regional variations: Almost 20% of apprentices in Wales and 10% in Scotland did not have the use of their own laptop or iPad compared with a much smaller proportion in England.


According to the BESA survey, almost half of all Scottish apprentices and more than a third of their Welsh counterparts attempting to continue studying from home during the lockdown had to share a laptop, while this was only true of around 20% of those based in England. .


“If we want to increase online engagement, it is important that we understand where this might disadvantage some young people and discourage them from taking up careers in our industry,” said Ms Yeulet. “When schools closed, some parents found it hard to cope with home schooling and many were caught out by the sudden need to increase their broadband contracts, for example. Some had to pay more for better broadband speeds etc., which can make all the difference if you are already struggling financially.


“Boris Johnson spoke about ‘levelling up’ to narrow the inequality gap between different parts of the country and this must also be part of the equation when it comes to supporting apprenticeships,” added Ms Yeulet. BESA is working with its members and a range of industry partners to tackle ‘IT poverty’. One potential solution is repurposing old equipment that could be donated to those apprentices in greatest need.


Remote


“The pace of change over the last few months has caught many people out,” said Ms Yeulet. “However, it has also created an opportunity to accelerate many innovations – increased remote working and access to better quality IT for all being an important case in point.” The Association also welcomed the “ambitious plans” announced by Chancellor Rushi Sunak in his Summer Statement that included generous subsidies for employers willing to take on apprentices.


BESA praised the government’s new £2bn worth of measures aimed at improving employment prospects for the younger generation. These include £2,000 for every employer who takes on an apprentice and £1,000 for any willing to take on new trainees. Firms will also receive £1,500 if they take on an apprentice aged over 25.


Before the Chancellor’s announcement, shadow business minister Lucy Powell told another BESA webinar that a whole generation of young people was in danger of being adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis.


“There has been a big drop in numbers taken on [during the pandemic],” she said. “If we are really going to build our way out of this crisis…that will need to be underpinned by skills.”


Ms Powell said there had been serious “teething problems” with the Apprenticeship Levy. “We will have to make it a lot easier for businesses to take on apprentices. We will need to provide more funding and more flexibility.” www.theBESA.com


www.heatingandventilating.net


August 2020 !"


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