Unite, the UK’s largest union, is warning the introduction of the
new apprenticeship levy could be taken off course and lead to a
sharp rise in sub-standard apprenticeships.
Unite issued their warning after an influential committee of MPs
also warned that the Government’s flagship apprenticeship policy
will not fill widening skills gaps.
From the 6 April 2017 all companies with a pay bill over £3
million per annum will have to pay the levy which is 0.5 per cent
of their employees pay. The government's levy aims to meet their
target of creating 3 million apprenticeships.
Unite has repeatedly warned that the increase in apprenticeships
must not result in a fall in quality and apprenticeships must be
genuine and not used by employers as a source of cheap labour.
Encouraging young people, their parents and teachers to consider
an apprenticeship as a good career move means the 'brand' must be
respected.
Unite's principal concern is the lack of measures to prevent a
rise in inferior apprenticeships as organisations try to claw
back levy money. Unite welcomes the new apprenticeship standards
which should ensure all apprenticeships are of a decent quality;
however the existing discredited framework system will also
remain in place until 2020.
Under the framework system there has been a proliferation of
qualifications and courses in many low and semi-skilled
professions. In many of these areas the training provided would
not traditionally have been regarded as an apprenticeship.
The MPs sub-committee on education, skills and economy has today
(Friday 31 March) issued a report which says that the
Government’s apprentice levy and its target of three million
apprentice starts by the end of this Parliament ‘are blunt
instruments that risk being unduly focused on simply raising
participation levels’. The sub-committee says that skills gaps
will not be filled unless the Government concentrates on sectors
and regions where training is most needed.
Last week Unite raised concerns after Subway advertised for an
apprentice sandwich artist which was paying the national minimum
wage apprentice rate of just £3.40 an hour.
Acting general secretary Gail Cartmail, said: “The
government is serving up a 'curate's egg'. On the one hand they
will be pointing to the improved quality of apprentices by
highlighting the new standards regime. On the other they will be
trying to meet their 3 million target relying on apprentices
following the discredited framework system.
“We have consistently argued against scores on doors and believe
the government should be primarily concerned with quality and
meeting the actual needs of different industrial sectors.
“If unscrupulous employers are subverting the apprenticeship
system in any way they need to be named and shamed.
Apprenticeships need to be a gold standard providing skills for
life and not degraded and used as a way of acquiring cheap
labour.”
Unite supports a ‘gold standard’ in apprenticeships where
apprentices develop fully transferrable skills. They also believe
that major companies should undertake overtraining (training more
apprentices than a company actually requires) in order to ensure
there are sufficiently highly skilled trainees for supply chains.
Unite urges the government to reconsider including a trade union
voice in the Institute of Apprenticeships which has been
established to administer the levy. Unite is delivering
apprenticeships as the union represents thousands of members who
train apprentices on a daily basis in workplaces where the union
puts apprenticeships on the bargaining agenda.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Details on apprentice standards and frameworks can be found at
Apprenticeship Standards (England) - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeship-standards Apprenticeship
Frameworks (England) - http://www.afo.sscalliance.org/
