Part I: Sheila Hoile on trailblazer apprenticeships – TAC

UK Construction Online talk exclusively to TAC Project Manager, Sheila Hoile, on the trailblazer apprenticeship.

Since 2007, Sheila has worked as a freelance consultant mainly in the construction industry. Since January 2010 she has been working as project manager for the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium (TAC)

For 5 years up to December 2006 Sheila was the Director of Skills Strategy at CITB-ConstructionSkills. Before that she was Director of Education and Professional Development at the Construction Industry Council.  She successfully led the ConstructionSkills into becoming one of four Pathfinder Sector Skills Councils and creating one of the first four sector specific National Skills Academies.  Sheila was awarded the MBE in 2001 New Year’s Honours List for her contribution to construction education and training.

Sheila graduated as an aeronautical engineer and spent her early career teaching Physics and working in the aerospace industry.  She has a Masters Degree in Education and Industry from University of Warwick.

Could you tell me how the trailblazer initiative differs from the existing apprenticeship?

The government had three aims in introducing the Trailblazer initiative. The first was to put employers ‘in the driving seat’ so that they could provide clarity as to the knowledge and skills required for someone to be judged as competent to undertake the job. The concern being that many apprenticeships were not seen by employers as fit for purpose. The second aim was to improve the quality of the apprenticeships and hence their standing with employers, young people and those who influenced their career choices. As a minimum, an apprenticeship should take at least 12 months to complete. It is worth pointing out that many in the construction and engineering sector already met this requirement. The technician apprenticeships developed by the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium take up to three years to complete.The third aim was to simplify apprenticeship documentation so that it was easily accessible for employers and those wishing to know more about apprenticeships in a particular occupation. Apprenticeship Standards set out on 2 sides of A4 the job role, the entry requirements and the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to become competent to undertake the job.

What is trailblazer group and how is it formed?

In order to develop an Apprenticeship Standard a minimum of 10 employers, including at least two with less than 50 employees, have to submit an Expression of Interest to the government along with a commitment to recruit and train apprentices once the apprenticeship has been approved for delivery. The Technician Apprenticeship Consortium has the advantage of being an established group of employers which could form the core of the Employer Working Group, inviting other employers to join them. Once the government’s Apprentice Team has confirmed that the Expression of Interest has merit and the occupation has not already been covered by another group, then approval is given to develop the Apprenticeship Standard. The employers will then nominate sector experts to form the Employer Working Group to develop the Apprenticeship Standard, the Assessment Plan, promote the apprenticeship within the sector and see it through to delivery.

 How are unique apprenticeships created to suit a specific role? Is there any criteria to follow / things that must be considered?

When the employers submit the Expression of Interest they must describe the job role which the apprentice will undertake on completion of the apprenticeship. The Apprenticeship Standard sets out the Technical Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours that would be expected of someone working in that particular occupation. The achievement of the Standard will be assessed at the end of the apprenticeship at which point it is expected that the apprentice will be able to competently undertake the role as set out in the Standard. The Assessment Plan sets out the process for a synoptic end point assessment which is designed to check that the apprentice can identify and use effectively and in an integrated way an appropriate selection of skills, techniques, concepts, theories and knowledge from across their training and so demonstrate that they are fully competent to do the job.

The Government has issued guidance and templates which need to be used from the point of submitting the Expression of Interest through to writing the Apprenticeship Standard and Assessment Plan. These are updated on a regular basis as the process gets refined.

What do you do to best ensure that an apprentice sticks with their apprenticeship up to completion?

Over the six years that the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium has been in existence, we have found that there are two main factors which affect whether or not an apprentice stays the course.

The first is at the recruitment stage. Over the six years, the Technician Apprenticeship Consortium companies have got a lot better at recruiting the right young people in the first place. The young people need to have made a positive choice to go down the apprentice route and be made fully aware that this is by no means an easy option as balancing work, college and social life commitments can be quite a challenge.

The second is to make sure that the apprentice is properly mentored particularly in the early stages of the apprenticeship when they are coming to grips with the expectations of the workplace. Companies have found that providing plenty of support in the first six months of the apprenticeship pays off handsomely in the long run.  Throughout their apprenticeship it is key that a close relationship is established and maintained between the apprentice, the company, through their mentor, and the college or training provider so that progress can be monitored and prompt remedial action put in place should things start to slip.

 

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