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Young Apprenticeships
See press scrapbook page to read about the Young Apprentices’ visit to Diggerland!
A Young Apprenticeship is a new two year programme for 14-16 year olds supported by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It is aimed at capable and motivated pupils who would like the chance to experience workplace life in a supported way and who will benefit from building a strong foundation before moving on to an Apprenticeship at 16 or another progression route of their choice.
The Young Apprenticeship Programme is designed to benefit employers too, by putting their needs at the heart of the drive to close the skills gap through the development of a first-class system of vocational and technical learning. The programme enables employers and their organisations to become involved in shaping the workforce of the future, by offering able and motivated pupils the chance to get a taste of real work alongside their school studies.
Click the links below to find out more:
- Tell me how the Young Apprenticeship Programme works
- Tell me about the YA Partnership Format
- How will the programme benefit employers?
- Tell me about Pupils in the Workplace
- Tell me about support for participating employers
- Tell me more about work experience placements
- Tell me about the administration and organisation of YA
- Where can I obtain further information about YA?
How the Young Apprenticeship programme works
This is a two year programme designed to encourage young people to broaden their qualification base, develop new skills and strengthen applied skills in Maths, English, IT and Design. It leads to a recognised qualification that will boost GCSE scores and enable students to access Level 3 training programmes at 16+. Pupils participating in the programme still pursue their curriculum studies and qualifications, including English, Maths, Science and ICT, which are delivered in school as normal.
Pupils on the Young Apprenticeship Programme in Construction will spend one day per week (Mondays) at City College Brighton & Hove – Constructing Futures (Wilson Avenue Site) and will study for qualifications in vocational subjects, i.e. BTEC Level 2 First Diploma in Construction.
Pupils will divide their time between school, practical training and work experience with participating employers. The aim is that as much of their learning as possible happens ‘on the job’, in a real work environment. Over a period of two years they will have 50 days’ experience of work and, in addition, the programme includes industrial visits, employer presentations and “master classes” with experts from the fields of craft and design.
The programme comprises of a mix of practical and theoretical modules. The qualification provides a specialist work-related programme of study that covers the key knowledge, understanding and practical skills required in the sector incorporating both craft and technical occupations.
At City College – Constructing Futures, the qualifications that Young Apprentices will be working towards are:
- BTEC First Diploma in Construction
- City & Guilds CAD Certificate
- Level 2 Health & Safety Certificate
Progression routes on passing and completing the programme include:
- Entry to a Level 3 Apprenticeship
- Other Level 3 Qualification programme
- On completion of Level 3, access to a Foundation Degree leading to an Honours degree and a career in Construction Management.
For the school year commencing in September 2006, there are two groups of Young Apprentices in Construction, consisting of a total of twenty-five pupils who will be following the programme at City College Brighton & Hove – Constructing Futures. The groups are:
- Y. A. Carpentry and Joinery
- Y.A. Multi-trade Investigation
The BTEC First Diploma in Construction consists of the following units.
| BTEC First Diploma in Construction Structure | |||
Routes |
|||
| Core units - all three units must be taken | Wood |
Investigating |
|
| 1 | Introduction to the Construction Industry | Y |
Y |
| 2 | Investigating Health, Safety & Welfare | Y |
Y |
| 3 | Construction Science & Mathematics | Y |
Y |
| Specialist units - three units must be choosen | |||
| 4 | Investigating Carpentry & Joinery | Y |
Y |
| 5 | Performing Joinery Operations | Y |
|
| 6 | Performing Carpentry Operations | Y |
|
| 7 | Investigating Trowel Operations | Y |
|
| 8 | Investigating Painting & Decorating | Y |
|
The YA Partnership Format
Around the country, groups of organisations including schools and education-business link organisations are joining forces. In Brighton, this includes City College Brighton & Hove / Constructing Futures and seven local schools.
With each Partnership, teachers and experienced employees or trainers share responsibility for pupils’ learning (although their school retains overall responsibility for their welfare at all times). The Partnership structure is designed to support pupils, to arrange practicalities like induction materials and travel, and to enable all organisations involved to plan and communicate collaboratively.
How will the programme benefit employers?
Participating in a local Partnership to run a Young Apprenticeship can help local companies develop by:
- Identifying talented young people interested in a particular industry or sector.
- Offering employees a training and coaching role which enhances their own professional development.
- Creating positive links with educational and training institutions locally.
- Demonstrating and promoting a company’s specialist skills and encouraging innovation.
- Supporting customer and public relations.
- Giving an opportunity to invest in and shape the workforce of the future
The Young Apprenticeship programme is designed to feed into the wider family of Apprenticeships and the qualifications that pupils will gain during their Young Apprenticeship may help them build.
It is expected that some pupils on Young Apprenticeships will continue their Apprenticeship training at 16. Some companies may wish to retain a pupil on completion of their Young Apprenticeship and this can be discussed through City College Brighton and Hove / Constructing Futures.
Pupils in the workplace
Over the time pupils spend with local employers they will gain many valuable insights as well as learning the skills they need for their course. Through the activities and experience a work environment can provide, pupils will be able to:
- Develop skills and knowledge relevant to their vocational studies.
- Gain hands-on work experience.
- Gather evidence of their growing competence by building up a portfolio of work
- Find out about how your company and the wider business sector work, which will support their learning and help them make informed career choices later on.
- Gain insights that help them develop social skills, personal organisation and team-work
- Improve their problem-solving abilities
- Learn about health and safety in the work place
- Understand what makes a good employee and appreciate the importance of their school studies in their future job.
Successful completion of the programme is not just a matter of passing exams, though. The development of social skills is important too. Pupils will come into contact with new people and different learning environments and the practical demands of organising their time and getting to grips with life in the workplace will also help them develop maturity.
The staff who are involved with pupils in the workplace will be responsible for:
- Conducting a basic induction session when pupils first arrive.
- Delivering the workplace learning objectives over the course of the placement
- Referring any concerns back to the school so that support can be given
- Evaluating the pupils during and at the end of their placement.
Support for participating employers
Employers will get all the information and support they need to deliver the workplace element of the Young Apprenticeship programme through the local Partnership.
Employers will receive guidance on issues such as insurance and child protection legislation and procedures.
The partnership will ensure that activities, health and safety and workplace arrangements are suitable throughout the two years and will accommodate the time spent with an employer within the school timetable.
Unlike Apprentices over the age of 16, participating pupils do not receive payment, because the Government has set up the programme as a part of their education. They will, however, receive assistance towards special requirements like protective clothing.
Work Experience Placements
The DfES defines work experience as: ‘a placement on employer’s premises in which a student carries out a particular task or duty, or a range of tasks or duties, more or less as would an employee, but with the emphasis on the learning aspects’.
All schools are expected to offer work experience. The 1997/98 survey of School Business Links in England, DfES 1999, reported that virtually all secondary schools are involved at pre-16. Only students in their last two years of compulsory schooling are eligible. Not so many schools offer an equivalent experience at post-16, when it is more likely to be work shadowing.
Schools are starting to develop a more flexible approach of extended placements based more around the programmes of individual students.
Work placements are run in a number of ways. The latest research of pre-16 work experience by the Institute of Employment Studies found that very few schools take sole responsibility for organisation. The Brighton & Hove Young Apprenticeship Programme in Construction has adopted a joint approach with schools and agencies working together on finding, health and safety checking and matching placements.
With the setting up of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in April 2001, education links organisations in each of the 47 LSC areas have been asked to come together to formulate joint plans covering all aspects of activity. Local LSCs are now funding work experience.
Administration and Organisation
City College Brighton and Hove/Constructing Futures (CC-CF) as lead partner in the Young Apprenticeship programme is co-ordinating the roles and responsibilities of the Partners, City College Brighton & Hove, schools, parents and employers.
In order to promote a smooth and rewarding learning experience for our Young Apprentices in this most crucial time of their school lives CC-CF is developing the framework in which this can be achieved.
The main components of this framework are as follows:
- Interpreting and presenting relevant information about the Y.A. programme to respective partners, i.e. students, employers, schools and parents.
- Organising meetings and agendas where presentation of information can take place.
- Developing Work Based Learning models with employers to promote a safe and protective environment for pupils to extract maximum learning and relevant learning opportunities whilst on work experience.
- Interfacing with respective partners to achieve best possible practice from the Y.A. programme.
To obtain further information, please contact the Young Apprenticeship Co-ordinator, Carolien Reynolds, on 01273 667765 or e-mail to: CMR@ccb.ac.uk
Further Sources of Information
LSC / DfES publications:
“Young Apprenticeships for 14-16 year olds”
- click here to download
“Young Apprenticeships – a guide for education, skills and training professionals”
- click here to download
“Safeguarding Pupils on Young Apprenticeships”
- click here to download
Useful Websites:
www.vocationallearning.org.uk/youngapprenticeships/index.asp
The Vocational Learning Website provides information and resources for teachers, students, parents and employers.
www.safelearner.info
This is the safe learner website, established as a ‘Good Practice Toolkit for Learner Health & Safety’ by the LSC in conjunction with the Association of Colleges and the Association of Learning Providers. IT includes contact details for LSC Regional Health and Safety Managers, facilities to download forms, information and guidance documents and links to other health and safety websites.
The following can be accessed via www.dfes.gov.uk/ebnet/home/Guidance.cfm
- Work Experience: A guide for employers (DfES/SPD/WES/01/1199rev). Guidance and advice on main issues relating to work experience placements for pupils aged 14-16. This is intended to help employers establish programmes that generate maximum benefit for pupils and themselves.
- Work Experience: A guide for secondary schools (DfES/SPD/WES/01/02rev). Guidance and advice on the main issues relating to work experience for pupils aged 14-16. This is intended to help schools establish programmes that generate maximum learning benefit for pupils.
www.teachernet.gov.uk/childprotection
Developed by the DfES as a resource to support the teaching profession. It contains information, advice and guidance on child protection issues.
The following can be accessed via www.opsi.gov.uk
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- Working Time Regulations, 1998; and
- Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2002.
The following can be accessed via www.hse.gov.uk
The Right Start – Work experience for young people: health and safety basics for employers (HSE, INDG364). Provides information and guidance on assessing health and safety risks to young people in the workforce under the age of 18, including work experience students.
