Authored by John Laramy CBE, Principal & CEO, Exeter College.
If An Apprenticeship is the Solution, what is the problem?
In the South West we have many things to celebrate, but one of the successes that we fail to celebrate enough is that of the South West in relation to apprenticeships. When nationally we are seeing widespread recruitment challenges, in the South West the trend tends towards more young people seeking an apprenticeship than there are employer vacancies to fill. The top three colleges in England for apprenticeship starts are all situated in the South West.
As a former apprentice, I am pleased that Exeter College is one of those colleges securing and supporting successful starts. We work closely with over 1000 employers and train just over 2000 apprentices. In 2022/23 Exeter College underwent an Ofsted inspection achieving an outstanding grading, and I was delighted that our partnership with business scored top marks.
In conversations with various businesses, a common challenge emerges: finding the right number of staff with the necessary skills to support growth, prosperity, and innovation. While in the past businesses might have looked towards economic immigration as a solution, the recent election demonstrated that regardless of which party is in power, this option is not currently feasible. Some businesses have tried to attract skilled workers by improving their terms and conditions, but this often leads to a cycle where other companies simply replicate these improvements, perpetuating the issue.
The logical next place to look would be towards young people. In the South West the number of 18-year-olds does rise over the next seven years but then starts to fall. The birth rate, a recent ‘political’ discussion, is also falling in most western countries. In the UK, for example, per 1000 people the birth rate has dropped from 17.5 in 1960 to just 10.1 in 2021.
In short, in my view any business will need a combination of new recruitment of both younger and older workers and upskilling of the current workforce to embrace the opportunities of the next ten years or more. The answer (or at least part of the answer), I believe, would be an apprenticeship or training solution.
I share here two examples from Exeter College as food for thought.
We work with Great Western Railway, a large employer, to offer a full apprenticeship solution for their business, covering everything from customer service to engineering, spanning new, often young, employees, and upskilling or retraining individuals within their current workforce. The partnership (because this has moved way beyond a transactional provider/employer relationship) is winning national awards and was used by the previous Prime Minister as an example of the positive impact of apprenticeships. It is a partnership that continues to work brilliantly for the business, the College and the individuals who are improving their skills and, in many cases, advancing their careers.
As you know, most employers in the South West are Small and Medium Size businesses, so my second example is taken from the innovative work with the engineering firm, HepcoMotion. This employer has collaborated with the College to create a bespoke academy for engineering students on a full-time course to give them an ‘industry placement’ as part of their programme. At the end of the two-year full-time course, successful learners then have the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship with the company; a win for the company, the College and the individuals involved.
I share these two examples to evidence that the South West has truly standout colleges and training providers working effectively with employers across the region. So, if you are not yet seeing apprenticeships as a solution, then I would encourage you to reach out to your local college. At Exeter College, our team works hard to make hiring an apprentice a straightforward process for a business and we are seeing a massive increase in employers wanting to understand how we can work with them to solve the challenges they face.
Find out more about Apprenticeships at Exeter College by visiting exe-coll.ac.uk or contact the team on 01392 400800 or [email protected].
