[Apprenticeship Insight: Working with local training providers]
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Bill Meredith - Acting Principal and Chief Executive, Bishop Burton College
Opportunities in the new apprenticeships I think are around having parity with more academic
routes and getting bright young people to realise that there is an alternative to university,
and that they can actually earn while they learn and develop skills that are required
by the economy and individual businesses.
Liz Bainbridge - Programme Leader, Bishop Burton College
It's a new challenging world. They're very specific to a job role, so from having an
apprenticeship that would fit quite a wide selection of jobs, your standards are very
specific, very bespoke to a job role. So we've got a lot of standards out there, a lot in
development. It's opening up a lot of new opportunities.
Andy Black - Acting Assistant Principal, Business Development, Bishop Burton College
The new standards have come out and in a lot of the subjects that we operate the standards
are very similar to the existing frameworks that were already there. I think the standard
is positive in terms of it adds examinations back into the endpoint assessment of the qualification
and it's attempting to raise the profile of apprenticeships and raise the level if you
like of attainment and achievement within these.
Bill Meredith - Acting Principal and Chief Executive, Bishop Burton College
Our businesses that work with Bishop Burton College tend to be various types, but a lot
of them are quite small businesses and there are just a few major businesses that we will
partner with. We use the term 'partner' very carefully. If it's a true partnership it's
one that's established over quite a long period of time and it's one that has benefits for
both parties.
Liz Bainbridge - Programme Leader, Bishop Burton College
At Bishop Burton College we've got about 98.5 per cent success rate or progression route
into full-time employment. We have a lot of apprentices who have successfully continued
in employment for that same employer. They've continued through promotion. We have other
apprentices that have gone on to set their own business up or applied for high-level
jobs. What employers like is the hands-on experience that an apprentice gets. They're
coming away with not just specific skills for the job role, but a lot of transferable
skills.
Bill Meredith - Acting Principal and Chief Executive, Bishop Burton College
They get good insight into how that student fits in or that learner fits in to their existing
workforce and the potential they have. So it's almost a sort of a selection process
that's extended and enables the employer to make their business future proof bringing
on new talent.
Liz Bainbridge - Programme Leader, Bishop Burton College
We can tailor and make bespoke programmes that employers maybe want as well and we listen
to them. The employers are one of the key vital parts of an apprenticeship, so we listen
to what they want from that apprenticeship and try to meet their expectations as well
as delivering the apprenticeship, whether it be the framework or the new standard.
Andy Black - Acting Assistant Principal, Business Development, Bishop Burton College
Our employment engagement strategy really tries to carry out a full-blown analysis of
a business, training needs analysis if you like of a business. That inevitably brings
up issues with ageing workforces, difficulties in attracting staff into businesses and a
whole host of other reasons, but equally it will pick up on capital or on expansion or
on ideas that the business has in moving forward.
Bill Meredith - Acting Principal and Chief Executive, Bishop Burton College
So what we do with the larger companies - there's a number of large companies that we do deal
with - is try to establish a close working relationship from the start and we'll go out
to see them and do a training needs analysis that identifies all the training needs, including
the training needs on the shop floor or in the field. In our case, we have a lab based
college right through up to the management who might be wanting maybe leadership skills
or how to run a business meeting. With the advent of the levy, that's been a really good
opportunity to get out and talk to some new large businesses as well as our existing clientele.
I think the key is to be honest from the start, because obviously it's taken a while to develop
the systems around the delivery of the levy based apprenticeships. There has been some
delay and I think explaining the pitfalls as well as the benefits of apprenticeships
to businesses is very important.
Andy Black - Acting Assistant Principal, Business Development, Bishop Burton College
We have an issue around with migrant workforce leaving the area and so one way of replacing
that migrant workforce is to invest in apprenticeship provision.
Liz Bainbridge - Programme Leader, Bishop Burton College
With any employer it's doing the research, looking at what each provider can offer and
going to the provider who you most think is going to meet your needs, open up those communication
lines. You look at several colleges if need be or providers, but open up the communication
lines. Who is going to listen to you is the most important factor. It isn't about the
college telling you what they're going to do for you. It's about that college listening
to the employer and working with them, so forming those partnerships right from the
start.
[For more information and advice on working with training providers and apprenticeship development]
[pearsonapprenticeships.com]
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