The four police forces in Wales are unable to access funding to
take on apprentices despite contributing around £2 million per
year to UK Government’s Apprenticeship Levy, says a National
Assembly committee.
The levy was introduced in 2015 and is payable by all eligible
employers, including those in Wales. The Welsh Government
receives a share of the funding and supports apprenticeships in
its priority areas.
The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee found that
because policing is not devolved to Wales, and that training and
education in Wales does not sit with the UK Government,
apprenticeships for police forces are not supported by either.
English forces can access funding of £24,000 per trainee officer
over three-year police apprenticeships.
But Welsh forces would be required to fund the £25.8 million
(£8.6 million per annum) equivalent themselves. The costs of the
degree in Wales have been reduced to £2.8 million per annum, but
the impact will still be substantial.
The Committee is urging the Welsh Government and the Home Office,
the UK Government department in charge of policing, to resolve
the issue and keep Welsh forces up to date with the negotiations.
Other evidence suggested that differing standards across the UK
created difficulties in drawing up business wide job
specifications for national employers. There were also concerns
that the creation of company-specific standards in England have
delivered qualifications that are less portable than the
framework qualifications that had been the norm.
The Committee believes the Welsh Government needs to explore how
employers and training providers can work together to provide
opportunities which serve as a best fit for an employer while
protecting the portability of qualifications.
In a previous report the Committee called on ministers to do more
to support people on apprenticeships in a similar way to the sort
of support available for people studying higher education
courses, including concessionary fares on public transport. A
year on since that report, committee members have reiterated that
recommendation.
“Apprenticeships are a valuable way for people to get on-the-job
training in professional environments and learn valuable skills,”
said , Chair of the Economy,
Infrastructure and Skills Committee.
“They are an important and effective way to change the lives of
individuals and grow Welsh businesses and the wider economy.
“Although we support apprenticeships, we believe that the
Apprenticeship Levy has created cracks in the system. In
particular the situation in Welsh police forces is a concern and
we urge the Welsh Government and the Home Office to address that
issue as a matter of urgency.
“There are also still questions around communication and
engagement with employers of all sizes, the portability and
relevance of qualifications and the level to which all employers
in Wales feel supported to develop and grow new staff.
“We recognise that the situation is clearly still developing, but
we will remain vigilant to ensure these opportunities are
available as widely as possible for as many people as possible.”
The Committee makes 13 recommendations in its report, including:
- the Committee calls on the Welsh Government and Home Office
to increase its efforts to resolve the issue of funding for
police apprenticeships in Wales, ensuring that the police forces
are kept fully up to date with progress on the negotiations;
- the Committee calls on the Welsh Government to task the Welsh
Apprenticeships Advisory Board (WAAB) with exploring how
employers and training providers can work together to improve
value-for-money outcomes that represent good quality and best fit
for the employer, while protecting the portability of
qualifications; and,
- the Committee calls on the Welsh Government to work with
public services to find innovative ways to support
apprenticeships and other workplace learning for an increasing
number of roles.
The report has been sent to the Welsh Government to respond.
