Lynn Gambin

Apprenticeships in England: what next?

This paper examines recent development in Apprenticeship training in England. Since the introduction of Modern Apprenticeships in the mid-1990s this form of training has been subject to much analysis and reform. This paper summarises the current situation and highlights some of the challenges and opportunities which face Apprenticeship over the short to medium term as it seeks to establish itself as a main alternative to the academic pathway through further education.

Health and Wealth: Empirical Findings and Political Consequences

Abstract There is increasing concern that equity in health and health care in Europe may suffer as a result of the expansion of the European Union and the ageing of its populations. This article reviews the findings of the ‘‘ECuity III’’ project: a network of European health economists who have investigated socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care. In order to help inform the policy debate about how to secure health equity in our ageing European societies, the project pays particular attention to the key decisions about income, health and health care in age groups around the retirement age, as these prove to be crucial for a better understanding of cross-country differences in inequalities.

Employer investment in Apprenticeships in England: an exploration of the sensitivity of employers in the construction sector to the net costs of training

Apprenticeships in England are undergoing major reform which will likely require employers to make a cash contribution to meeting the fees of their training providers. In return employers will be given more influence over the content of the training. If employers are expected to make a cash contribution this is likely to have an impact on their willingness to deliver Apprenticeships. Based on a series of employer case studies conducted between 1995 and 2011 an examination is provided of construction employers’ sensitivity to the costs of delivering Apprenticeships. Because the cost to the employer is relatively high, and because there is a degree of uncertainty attached to recouping those costs, there is a distinct set of disincentives to construction employers providing Apprenticeships. This is important. First, the construction sector will need to recruit a large number of additional people into skilled trades jobs over the next 10 years as the sector’s recovery gains pace and many existing employees retire. Second, Apprenticeships in the sector have an important role to play in young people’s transition from school into work. A fall in the number of apprentices in the sector is likely to have important economic and social consequences.

Factors affecting completion of apprenticeship training in England

This paper examines factors that are associated with the probability of completion of apprenticeship programmes by individual learners in England. Data are from the 2008/2009 academic year Individualised Learner Record – the administrative database containing information on all learners in the Further Education system in England. The analysis considers various factors including demographic characteristics of apprentices, aspects of their programme and an indicator of the local labour market context in which they participate in the apprenticeship. The study considers both Apprenticeships (Level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships (Level 3) and finds a variety of factors that have a significant effect on the likelihood of completion. Gender-related differences are found only within particular frameworks (akin to the subject or sector). Local unemployment rates are found to have a significant effect on the probability of completion with the direction of this relationship differing between the two levels. The findings highlight that the contemporaneous goals of increasing participation in apprenticeship and improving completion rates cannot be easily achieved through the same actions. Despite this, the importance of completion of an apprenticeship cannot be denied for a variety of reasons including the penalties individuals may suffer in the labour market due to non-completion.

The Costs and Benefits of Apprenticeships to Employers: Policy, Funding and Training Quality

Historically, the UK has experienced relatively low levels of participation in apprenticeships, especially those at Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) level 3 that correspond to the standard commonly trained to in countries such as Germany and Switzerland. This chapter looks at employers’ rationale for investing in Apprenticeships and how this has been influenced by public policy relating to the publicly funded Apprenticeship system. It shows how policy, following the introduction of the publicly funded Apprenticeship system in 1994, was initially balanced in favour of increasing the volume of apprentices but has increasingly moved towards improving the quality of provision. Whether the quality of provision can be increased, and in so doing potentially increase the cost of training to the employer — whilst at the same time maintaining or even increasing the volume of provision, is a moot point.

Counting the cost, reconciling the benefits: understanding employer investment in Higher Apprenticeships in accounting

ABSTRACT Lack of progression to higher education amongst those who complete an Advanced Apprenticeship in England and the country’s need for higher level skills led to the introduction of Higher Apprenticeships in 2009. Whilst Higher Apprenticeships would be expected to facilitate learner progression, the volume of these has remained low. In this paper, the example of accountancy training illustrates that Higher Apprenticeships are typically introduced into a crowded qualification landscape where they likely replace or subsume existing vocational qualifications. Based on employer case studies, the paper explores the factors employers consider when deciding to invest in this form of training and finds that the net costs of training are central. Higher Apprenticeships often simply substitute for other previously used modes of accountancy training, providing the same core qualification but there are some added benefits of the Apprenticeship including widening the employers’ recruitment pool for accounting technicians. As Apprenticeship reforms evolve, it will be down to the value employers place on this route compared to standalone qualification to the same level, which will determine the viability of Higher Apprenticeships in the accounting space.