Visiting Jaguar
Land Rover in the Midlands, Prime Minister David Cameron today
announced details of a £25 million fund that will support up to
10,000 Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships, giving firms in
sectors such as advanced manufacturing, information technology and
engineering the hi-tech skills they need to grow.
The Higher Apprenticeships Fund will support the expansion of
apprenticeships up to degree equivalent in companies, particularly
SMEs, where there is unmet demand for the higher level skills that
are necessary to create additional jobs and growth.
Industry representatives are invited to bid to the fund, which
will be delivered via the National Apprenticeship Service, from
today. The new apprenticeships will commence from October 2011.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"I am determined that this government should be the most
pro-business there has been, with one purpose and one goal:
creating jobs and growth.
"It is therefore crucial that we build up the skills in
this country that our businesses need and that will fuel long term
growth. That is why despite some difficult decisions on spending
we are increasing the number of apprenticeships to record levels.
"We are investing in apprenticeships because we know
they work - they are good for people who want to get ahead, good
for business and good for the country."
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“As I work with the business community to rebalance and grow the
economy, apprenticeships will increasingly deliver not just basic
training, but also the high level, high tech skills that drive
growth. The Higher Apprenticeships Fund is a crucial step towards
placing vocational learning on a par with academic study, giving
bright youngsters the opportunity to work with and build the most
dynamic firms in the country.”
The £25 million for the Higher Apprenticeships Fund is part of a
package of additional investment in apprenticeships totalling £180
million, announced in this year’s Budget. The Government is
committed to funding some 360,000 apprenticeships this financial
year alone.
Skills Minister John Hayes said:
“The Government is on track to deliver the biggest and best
apprenticeships programme our country has ever seen. But we’re
determined to do more to give smaller firms, especially in high
skill industries, the help they need to reap the benefits of world
class training. With every £1 the Government spends on an
apprenticeship delivering a return of some £40 to the wider
economy, this fund is a sound investment in the country's
future."
The fund will build on support offered to business via the Growth
and Innovation Fund and the Growth Review, which are designed to
target Government support on firms and sectors which will benefit
most from additional investment in skills training.
Notes to Editors:
The Higher Apprenticeship Fund prospectus is available at
www.apprenticeships.org.uk/highersIn May 2010 the Government
announced an aspiration to deliver 50,000 additional adult
apprenticeship places over the 2010-11 financial year. Statistics
released in June show that the Government has delivered over
103,000 additional adult apprenticeship starts over this time.
Provisional data shows that a total of 257,000 adult
apprenticeship starts have been delivered between April 2010 and
March 2011. By the end of this Parliament, the Government is
committed to supporting an additional 250,000 apprenticeships,
compared to the previous Government’s plans. Planned investment
will deliver some 360,000 apprenticeships in financial year
2011/12.The Government is committed not only to increasing the
number and range of Apprenticeships on offer, but also to
improving their quality. It will reshape the Apprenticeship
programme so that Advanced level becomes the level to which
learners and employers should aspire, and will ensure there are
clear routes into higher level skills training including, but not
exclusively, Higher Apprenticeships.There are more than 85,000
employers offering Apprenticeships, and almost 200 job roles in
which someone may be an apprentice. The Growth Review is a
fundamental assessment of what every part of Government is doing
to provide the conditions for private sector growth. It is a
rolling programme will last the whole of this Parliament. The Plan
for Growth formed the first part of the Growth Review, which was
published alongside the Budget in March this year. It examined 15
sectors and themes across the economy including advanced
manufacturing, setting out an action plan to breakdown barriers
and promote opportunities for growth. The next phase of the Growth
Review, launched in June, is examining the theme of education and
skills. More detail can be found at:
www.bis.gov.uk/growthFollowing the first round of applications to
the £50 million Growth and Innovation Fund, innovative proposals
to deliver world class training in seven leading industries have
been selected for further development. Business planning will now
get under way for a new National Skills Academy for Health, which
will be led by the Skills for Health Sector Skills Council. Plans
are being developed for existing National Skills Academies to be
expanded, with the National Skills Academy for Nuclear embracing
nuclear manufacturing and the National Skills Academy for Creative
and Cultural Skills expanding into the jewellery, design and
heritage industries. Specific projects with joint employer and
public funding are being initiated to boost specialist skills in
the fitness and playwork industries. The above projects will draw
on joint funding from employers and the Government, via the Skills
Funding Agency.BIS's online newsroom contains the latest
press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download.
It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts.
See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
APPRENTICESHIP CASE STUDY:
BAE Systems
In 2010 BAE Systems launched Skills 2020, an integrated skills
and education programme to respond to the skills challenges of the
next decade. Apprenticeships are a key part of this strategy,
which enables BAE Systems to meet changing customer and business
needs and meet future skills capability requirements.
In 2010 BAE Systems had 1009 apprentices in training across
various sites in England with a further 207 in Scotland. 95% of
their apprentices are in engineering and related areas. 65% of
learners progress on to higher level training and qualifications
on completion of their apprenticeship, with at least 20 continuing
to degree level every year.
BAE apprenticeships range through NVQ levels 2, 3 and 4 with the
vast majority being Advanced Apprenticeships. The apprenticeships
cover the following disciplines;
Aircraft Maintenance Engineering – Craft & Technician
Software Engineering Planning Engineers Business &
Administration.
Around 150 of BAE’s learners are currently on higher level
programmes equivalent to Higher Apprenticeships, such as the A
level entry Nuclear Trainee programme at the Submarines business.
Numbers are likely to grow, in particular to deliver the high
levels of technical skills needed to design and manufacture the
successor submarine to the Vanguard Class. BAE Systems are
currently working to remodel their higher level programme to adapt
into a Higher Apprenticeship.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Katie Kilgallen
Phone: 020 7215 1861
katie.kilgallen@bis.gsi.gov.uk