Karen Slade – Head of LEIA Assessment reacts to the Department for Education’s announcement that it will remove ‘red tape’ to create 10,000 more apprentices.
The Department for Education announced 11th February that it will boost starts and remove barriers to achieving apprenticeships by:
- Allowing an employer to decide whether adult learners over the age of nineteen when they start their apprenticeship course will need to complete a level 2 English and Maths qualification (equivalent to GCSE) in order to pass it.
- Reducing the minimum term for an apprenticeship to 8 months, from the current 12 months.
‘Whilst we knew these changes were in the pipeline, it is fitting they have been confirmed during National Apprenticeship Week where the theme this year is ‘skills for life.’ Numeracy and literacy skills have long been a barrier to opportunities to access apprenticeships for many, in particular those over the age of nineteen and whilst I cannot argue that having a basic level of numeracy and literacy is important, changes needed to happen.
The change that could impact the lift and escalator sector will be the removal of mandatory Maths and English achievement.
We know so much more about neurodiversity, and how people learn and how these unique traits can be used to develop successful outcomes than we did even 10 years ago. It feels like a natural progression to remove the barrier that not achieving Maths and English qualifications can have for some people.
These changes will certainly help to provide opportunities for many to enter the lift and escalator and supporting sectors via the apprenticeship route. Whilst we operate in an engineering-based sector, where there is a requirement to have certain Maths skills, these are applied skills which can be taught on the job.
It has been stated that the requirement to still test Maths and English where it is part of the job role will still exist and whilst its too early to measure what the practical application of these changes will look like for access to end-point assessment, it would be sensible certainly for some of the standards that LEIA assess to still have that skills check included in EPA.
LEIA Assessment will be happy to talk to training providers and employers on how we can support this change, and answer any questions, or respond to any concerns there may be.
There will be further updates communicated on these changes via the DFE, where we hope clarification on the practical implementation will be provided. Until then, we recommend interested stakeholders do not look to make any immediate changes or decision linked to these particular areas.’
