Agenda and minutes

Report of the Head of Communities, Change and Partnership, attached

The Panel considered the report of the Head of Communities, Change and Partnerships reviewing apprenticeship training provision and feedback from local providers.

Ian Smith, National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) outlined local apprenticeship training arrangements:-

• Previously areas had been allocated budgets, but there was now a single budget so that it could be targeted to the growth areas.
• Annually there was a fixed sum for 16-18 year olds and then the remainder was for 19+.
• Each provider was checked quarterly to ensure they were still performing, rather than just being given all the funding at the beginning regardless of the outcome.
• Each provider had a relationship manager as a contact point.
• Most apprentices working within Southampton either attend City College or Totton College.
• It was necessary to go out of the City for some specialist areas.  However most courses, where ever they were, cover only general areas and sometimes are not appropriate for individual placements that were specialist areas.
• Need to look at whether the apprenticeships offered were matching the need.

Claire Sutton, from SETA and also representing the Association of Learning Providers Hampshire and IOW updated the Panel on the Apprenticeship provider network (ALPHIE):-

• Support network covering 36 providers.
• Looking at ways to promote apprenticeships to all stakeholders.
• Many apprenticeships can have 40 applications where others have none.
• Need to see what the local labour market looks like.
• Currently employers were very confused about the number of different types of qualifications that student could leave education with and what they were equivalent to.
• In 2007 - 77.8% in college and 8.8% in employment or training, in 2013 – 89.3% in college and 2.6% in employment or training – Concerns that problem is just being transferred for the 2 years that the young people were in further education.
• Looking at reasons why they do not want to apply at 16 years old.
• Want to ensure the providers were offering the training that was required.
• Concerned that the schools were not engaged enough.
• Reluctance to loose employers to other providers.
• Do send apprentices to other providers if they were not able to meet their training needs – example of Esso.  City College said that they currently had 168 students who were not their apprentices.
• Working on what the employers want and this then benefitted the learner.
• ALPHIE map what the providers do.
• ALPHIE gives employers more apprentices and gives more choice to the young people.  If provider can not meet the need then they were able to refer to another provider within the network.
• Need to engage those employers who were not currently using apprentices – needed help from other agencies to help get the information about these employers.
• Problems have been created since the changes to careers advice at school.  Felt this would become more of an issue once the school leaving age was increase.

Ruth Evan, Headteacher, Cantell Maths and Computing College outlined the issues relating to careers guidance within schools:-

• Each school was now responsible for deciding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.