Barriers to Apprenticeships

Slide 1

Barriers to Apprenticeships

Estyn Thematic Review

Vanessa Morgan

Additional Inspector

Slide 2

Who are Estyn?

  • Estyn is the office of Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales. We are independent of, but funded by, the National Assembly for Wales.
  • The purpose of Estyn is to inspect quality and standards in education and training in Wales

Slide 3

Thematic Report – Barriers to Apprenticeships

  • Two year review – barriers arising from any difficulties experienced by learners from black and minority ethnic groups and those with disabilities when entering apprenticeship programmes.
  • First report published November 2014

Slide 4

Year 1 Findings

  • Lack of awareness of apprenticeships by parents, employers and learners themselves
  • Few apprenticeship role models from the BME communities or from disabled groups
  • Difficulties in finding suitable work placements, especially where employers believe there will be a need to provide additional support for learners
  • Real or perceived discrimination

Slide 5

  • Language difficulties for students for whom English is an additional language and cultural difficulties
  • Available support for learners not being accessed or fully utilised
  • Parental anxiety that the young people may not be able to cope
  • Insufficient co-ordination between schools, employers, WBL providers and local community organisations to provide apprenticeships

Slide 6

Year 2

  • Build upon the work undertaken in Year 1
  • Identify examples of good practice of diversity in apprenticeships
  • Good practice examples of providers, employers and communities working together to achieve diversity in apprenticeships

Slide 7

Perceived Barriers

Learning Disability Wales, July 2014 – “What works in Wales”

Real Conversation, Llandudo, March 2015

Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, 2015

  • Job related (location, transport, lack of appropriateness, competition)
  • Employer related (lack of understanding/poor perception, inaccessible recruitment processes, lack of understanding of financial support available)
  • Employee related (low level of self-belief/lack of aspiration, low skills levels, lack of knowledge of support available, lack of parent/carers aspirations, poor previous experience)
  • Support related (complicated benefits system, inaccessible JobCentre services)

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What’s being done in Wales to break down these perceived barriers?

Some good practice examples

Slide 9

Transitions and Employment Service - RNIB

  • Supports blind and partially sighted people across Wales to develop employability skills and apply for work
  • Organise work placements
  • Ensure organisations and employers receive appropriate training and are equipped to work with blind an partially sighted people

Slide 10

Learner A

  • Third and final year of psychology degree at Swansea University
  • Met with transitions officer and expressed interest in working with police forensic department
  • One-week placement in scientific investigation team based at Neath police station
  • Risk assessment by transitions officer – Guide Dogs for the Blind helped with mobility routes

Slide 11

Learner A’s week

  • Health and Safety induction
  • Tour of the department and intro to team
  • Overview of high profile cases and gathering of evidence for these cases
  • Work Shadowing:Photographs and DNA swabs at scenes of crime; Gathering of evidence; Completion of paperwork

Slide 12

Cardiff and ValeUniversity Health Board (UHB)

  • Partnership with private training provider and JobCentre Plus
  • Apprentice-style programme to provide pathways for disadvantaged groups
  • 6-month programme to develop the skills and knowledge to become a Health Care Support Worker: Complete the UHB’s corporate and clinical induction programme; Achievement of Level 2 Health and Social Care Diploma knowledge and competence units
  • Completion gives employment history and references
  • Which can lead to a job or an apprenticeship