EAL calls for better vocational careers advice in schools

Specialist engineering and manufacturing awarding organisation EAL, who hosted the event, will be taking the employers’ concerns to high-level government ministers to encourage greater support for employers both in terms of financial assistance and a concentrated strategy to promote vocational qualifications as an equal alternative to degrees.

The discussion, chaired by Baroness Wall of New Barnet, brought together employers – both large and small – from across the sector to air their views on the challenges they currently face in taking on Apprentices. Also present were Claire Burton, Head of the Apprenticeships Unit in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Phillip Whiteman, Chief Executive, SEMTA, and Lorely Burt, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Policy Committee on BIS and MP for Solihull.

EAL Head of Policy, Elizabeth Bonfield says: “We were delighted to have a mix of employers attending, giving a genuinely comprehensive overview of the industry. The debate was free and open, and we will be taking the solutions we discussed to John Hayes, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, when we meet him later this month. This is just the beginning of a longer process as we continue to support engineering and manufacturing companies by delivering a skilled workforce that can help industry grow and prosper.”

Participants at the roundtable said they were concerned that many schools and colleges provided substandard careers advice and were not doing enough make young people aware of the qualification paths open to them.

“We need to be able to access students at an earlier age. They need to know their long-term options before they make their GCSE subject choices at 14 as those choices will ultimately determine the qualification route they take,” says John McGibbon, Engineering Manager, James Walker Engineering.

EAL hopes that the roundtable will act as a starting point for greater engagement with Government, helping put together solutions supported by the industry.

“These meetings are incredibly important for the development of the industry and we hope to take this concept further to perhaps create a regular Apprenticeship Action Assembly, where we can formulate strategies that will benefit the whole industry,” says Ann Watson, Managing Director, EAL. “The employers who attended our round table are all passionate about apprenticeships and their value. The Government must listen to them and harness the solutions they present.”

Already the round table has developed some potential solutions to the challenges of hiring apprentices. It has been agreed there is a need for greater collaboration between large and small employers, who can share apprentices and boost the number of skilled people entering the industry. Collaborating with schools is another area for action. “We are finding issues in the careers advice given by schools, particularly with women in engineering and the perception of the industry. We do a lot of work in colleges and engage in schools with 11-13 year-olds. We need to create a local skills framework of employers to share knowledge and placements so apprentices can get experience,” says Keith Rose, General Manager, Engineering Quality and Training Services, BA.

EAL will continue to take a leading role in championing the vocational qualification sector and engaging with Government, employers, training providers and colleges as well as industry bodies to deliver workers with the skills they need to succeed.