Don't leave apprentices high and dry - training experts

Covid-19 is having a dramatic impact on the future of vocational learning according to a new survey.

The latest In-Comm Training Barometer, launched to mark National Apprenticeship Week 2021, revealed 64 per cent of companies failed to invest in new apprentices over the past year.

Furthermore, it revealed cuts to training budgets (51 per cent) and 53 per cent of firms shelving future plans to take on young workers as they adapt to the challenges presented by the virus.

The Barometer did highlight some positives, including nearly nine tenths of companies retaining their existing apprentices despite the crisis, while the Government 's furlough support has allowed 72 per cent of management teams to continue to offer training to staff.

Bekki Phillips (pictured), chief operating officer of In-Comm Training, which delivers more than 750 apprentices every year, said: “Something that has been spoken about a lot lately is the fact that a generation of school pupils could be left high and dry due to interruption with exams and the lack of opportunities out there.

“We can 't just write them off, that 's not fair and will be hugely detrimental to industry for decades to come, compounding the existing gap we have been trying to bridge. ”

“The appetite to invest in the future workforce is still there, but companies are under so much financial pressure from the pandemic that they have to make some tough decisions and it appears that this is already having an impact on the number of apprentices being recruited.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure they have access to their chosen career pathway, but we really need Government to take note of this and look at how it could explore more targeted short-term financial support to help bridge the rest of the pandemic.

“The Kickstart scheme has been slow to take off and shouldn 't be seen as an alternative to Apprenticeships, whilst the recent white paper on Further Education highlights some good points, but they 're three to four years away.

“Employers require support now and in a way that takes some of the financial burden away, maybe through a simplified grant scheme or maybe even shared Apprenticeships where a number of companies could invest in the one individual. ”

For the first time ever, the In-Comm Training Barometer engaged with nearly 200 secondary school pupils to get their thoughts on future career aspirations.

The increasing popularity of Apprenticeships was still evident, with nearly four fifths saying they would consider vocational learning as a potential route to a job.

Learning whilst they 're earning is still overwhelmingly the biggest draw (59 per cent), while 19 per cent pointed to the benefits of on-the-job training and 9% the chance of gaining a degree.

The latter is reinforced by the fact that nearly half of respondents felt Apprenticeships were equal to a Degree.

It also reflects the increasing importance of nationwide Institutes of Technology (IOTs), who have been set-up specifically to bridge this gap between Further/Higher Education and Universities.

The Training Barometer, which will be used to lobby Government and other influential trade bodies, is part of a series of activities planned by In-Comm Training to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2021.