Skills Archives - Page 3 of 9 - Aptem - enabling skills development and employability

Tips for running effective tripartite review meetings

Learner reviews are a fundamental aspect of any apprenticeship. Yet running these meetings well is a skill that evidently has not been mastered by all. As shared in a recent webinar on learner reviews by expert consultant Tony Allen, many Ofsted reports feature feedback along the lines of: “Apprentices’ progress reviews do not capture all aspects of apprentices’ development. Employers do not review apprentices’ progress with Coaches. Too often Coaches agree targets with apprentices that are too vague to meaningfully guide the apprentice. Review records do not capture what the apprentices know and understand about areas such as British Values.”

Universities and Ofsted: learnings from recent inspections

With Ofsted busy catching up on its Covid-induced backlog, many higher education institutions (HEIs) are rightly anticipating inspections over the coming months.

It’s been less than a year since Ofsted took the reins from the Office for Students for assessing the quality of higher-level apprenticeships. All eyes were on Worcester University when it became the first HEI to have its report published in July 2021. Since then, inspection reports have slowly been filtering through, with mixed outcomes.

Webinar recap: How to manage employer engagement in the delivery of apprenticeships

Tony Allen (CEO of Allen Apprenticeships and Skills), and Ben Drain (Apprenticeships Operations and Quality Director at Pareto Law) presented a webinar for more than 150 apprenticeship providers to explore the topic of effective employer engagement.

With many years of experience in apprenticeships delivery, Tony Allen and Ben Drain have deep insights into where successful providers excel in the services they provide and the growth of their organisations. In this webinar, they focused on one key component – providers’ approaches to employer engagement.

Using behavioural science to enhance apprenticeship delivery

“The behaviours required to prosper in a new world are different.” Aptem CEO, Richard Alberg. Although we might not yet be living in what we can call a ‘post-pandemic’ world, the pandemic has already significantly changed the behaviours and skills we need to thrive. Behavioural science can help us to pinpoint and understand these changes, as well as offer useful insights that can be applied to service delivery, and ultimately support people into work.

Degree apprenticeships: are qualifications the linchpin of success?

In this white paper, we look at the history and rationale of the mandated qualification in degree apprenticeships, the competing pressure on them with regard to integration (both in terms of integration of the qualification and the end point assessment/EPA), and the three reasons why mandated qualifications matter: productivity, transferrable skills and occupational mobility.

Read our white paper to learn more.

The evolution of blended learning

Blended learning incorporates in-class and remote learning, making use of digital technology to deliver engaging, flexible and collaborative education. Advances in technology have been challenging the classroom-centric mode of teaching since before the pandemic. Yet at the same time, it’s also widely recognised that technology has a significant role to play in education, not least because it is increasingly fundamental to everyday life. The role of education is to prepare young people for independence and success, and digital skills are undoubtedly essential for both.

Reframing apprenticeships: the importance of level 2 and 3 apprenticeships

Delivered by employers in partnership with training providers, level two and three apprenticeships offer a concrete and reliable path into employment, and a steady supply of new recruits to companies that can train them in the specific skills they require. However, these lower-level apprenticeships have been overshadowed in recent years by the higher- and degree-level apprenticeships that offer an alternative to university education. The declining uptake in level two and three apprenticeships reflects a missed opportunity for employers and employees alike. Here, we explore why.

Understanding the skills deficit now

The skills deficit in the UK is not a new challenge. As reported in our recent skills-focused white paper, in 2019 a quarter of all vacancies were skills-deficit related, with 60% of these in medium- and high-skilled roles. ONS data from October 2021 reveals a record high number of job vacancies between July and September 2021, indicating the re-opening of many sectors. Yet, as pointed out in the Big Issue, much of the positive news around employment relates to low-skilled, temporary and insecure work; a gap is preventing people from finding secure employment to match their skillset and their needs.

This article explores a pan-sector skills gap, the influence of Brexit and coronavirus on the skills gap, the current talent pool, and the future of employment in the UK.

How have the government schemes performed at a local level?

The government has taken a sector- and skills-specific approach to tackling unemployment across the UK, rather than forming their response to specifically meet challenges as they are presented at a local level. So, how have these schemes performed locally? Have local authorities and businesses been provided with the tools they need to successfully kick-start local economies? And what should their next steps be?

Sunak’s Autumn Budget and Employability Services

Announced on 27 October, Rishi Sunak’s autumn budget is as interesting for what it includes as for what is omitted. Given the proximity of the announcement to COP26, the budget has been criticised for a lack of emphasis on green initiatives and the government’s net-zero plan. The cost of long-haul flights is set to rise (with climate change cited as the reason), yet duty on domestic flights has been cut. Overall, as reflected in this particular example, the budget is a mixed bag, offering some causes for celebration, and others for commiseration.