Semta smashes high level Apprenticeship take up target
30 July 2012
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-Leading sector skills council well on its way to ambition of doubling advanced and higher level apprenticeships by 2016-
New data released today reveals Semta is well on its way to achieving an ambition to double the number of advanced and higher level apprenticeship registrations by 2016.
Said Semta apprenticeship director Bill Twigg: “We have hit 9,200 starts at level 3 and level 4 in a year. That’s an additional 1,200. So we have already met our 2012-13 target of a 25% increase on 2009/10. It’s a fantastic result and gives us real confidence that we will achieve our Ambition. We are working hard to make it easier for employers of all sizes to take on apprentices from securing quality candidates to developing the frameworks that truly add value to businesses.”
The sector skills council’s Apprentice Ambition, launched just a year ago in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service and leading employers such as Siemens, Tata, Ford and Airbus, aims to increase advanced and higher level registrations from 8,000 to 16,000 through a ten-point plan.
The plan includes measures to help combat barriers to apprenticeship uptake such as attracting more quality entrants, reducing bureaucracy, developing frameworks that meet employers’ needs, and improving training provision.
To make take-up easier, Semta launched the Semta Apprenticeship Service which manages the whole apprentice process from recruitment and quality assurance to funding and managing the paperwork. Ofsted described the Service as “outstanding” in meeting the needs of employers and providing outstanding value for money.
Semta has also launched a new Higher Apprenticeship in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering which, being developed with employers, has proved an immediate success with over 400 apprentices already being recruited by companies such as BAE Systems, Jaguar Land Rover, Siemens and MBDA.
Supported by the National Apprenticeship Service, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the Higher Apprenticeship fund, the new apprenticeship will not only upskill the existing workforce, it will also develop new recruits needed for growth and to replace skills lost through retirements among an aging workforce.
Semta research indicates that industry needs to recruit and train 82,000 engineers, scientists and technicians across the UK by 2016, and 363,000 of the current technical workforce is qualified below world class standards and needs to be skilled up.
Continued Bill Twigg: “The demand for higher level skills is increasing as the UK competes in high value markets such as advanced manufacturing, bio technology and emerging and green technologies. And as traditional industries become leaner, many jobs require multi-skilled technicians or demand very specific skills sets.
“Before we launched the Apprenticeship Ambition, the combination of apprenticeship starts and achievement rates was producing less than half what was needed and was doing nothing to address skills gaps within the existing workforce. We are determined to achieve our Ambition because we know that UK manufacturing and engineering needs the right technical skills to compete globally.”
Employers interested in finding out how taking on an apprentice could benefit their organisation should contact Semta Customer Services on 0845 643 9001 or customerservices@semta.org.uk or visit www.semta.org.uk
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