Today marks the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, which celebrates the career opportunities created through apprenticeship programmes and the valuable contribution learners make to their workplaces.
Ahead of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade’s LinkedIn Live event, held Wednesday (12 February) at 12pm, the Daily Update spoke to the organisation’s apprenticeship success manager, Steve Horrell, to address one major misconception about the qualifications: that they’re the preserve of school-leavers stepping into the world of work for the first time.
To better debunk that myth, we also heard from three Chartered Institute trade and customs consultants who have embarked on Level 5 Learning and Skills Teacher apprenticeships to develop themselves mid-career.
The misconception
Taking the example of the Level 3 International Freight Forwarding Specialist apprenticeship, for which there’s a significant number of eligible candidates, Horrell says that beliefs around the age of those who are eligible mean some who could benefit miss out.
Many believe that apprenticeships are only for those just joining the workforce, but the reality is that apprenticeships are available to anyone above the age of 16.
"The oldest person that we enrolled was 62, the youngest person we've enrolled was 17."
Reflecting on Andrew, the 62-year-old apprentice, Horrell says that when he attended annual freight forwarding event MultiModal to share his apprenticeship experience at a presentation, there were “audible gasps” from the audience, when he stepped forward.
“They were probably expecting a 16- or 17-year-old to stand up and be quite shy and retiring, but he was so confident, waving to everyone like a celebrity.”
What does success on an apprenticeship look like?
The kind of confidence that a well-established career gives you also carries through to success on the programme. Horrell says that Andrew was “100% committed”, something he sees in a lot of older apprentices returning to education within a full-time role.
This was something echoed by Chartered Institute apprentices, who are upskilling within their existing role.
Nicholas Blenkinsop says he also considers his apprenticeship a “testament to my commitment to growth, adaptability and continuous professional development”.
“Embracing this change feels invigorating, as it opens doors to new possibilities and reinforces my belief that you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
For him, an apprenticeship was an ideal chance to grow within his current role: an “exciting and transformative opportunity” which also allowed him to “develop fresh skills in a structured, hands-on environment”.
‘Fresh perspectives’
Sonia Gutierrez added that starting her apprenticeship later in her career has been “a valuable opportunity for growth”.
While it could be seen as “a bit of shift or a challenge” she appreciates it also “brings fresh perspectives”.
Neal Barfoot, meanwhile, admitted to feeling a bit “daunted” on first returning to education, but says that after just three months “all my preconceptions of apprenticeships have changed completely”.
Similar to the surprise that Andrew gave the multimodal audience, Barfoot says that attending an Association of Apprenticeships webinar opened his eyes to the breadth and diversity of learners undertaking a programme.
“Those on the call, all 150 of them, were apprentices from all professions and age groups.”
He describes taking on the apprenticeship as a “watershed” in his career development and, as a tutor, a welcome chance to reflect instead of posing the questions to learners.
Eligibility
After removing age from the equation, Horrell returns to the question of eligibility.
“They need to be in an eligibility job role”, he says, explaining that this means hitting the sweet spot between having a relevant role that still leaves room for growth, so that learners are developed by the apprenticeship.
He also highlights that one key criterion is residency. In order to be eligible for government funding, learners must have been a resident of England for the past three years, without taking an extended break to live or work abroad.
Horrell adds that government funding “is only available to employees who spend at least 50% of their contracted hours working within England”.
While apprenticeships can still be provided to learners working in the devolved nations on a commercial basis, funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is not available.
Desire to learn
Horrell ends by reiterating the point that the most important criterion is the apprentice’s willingness to take on a new challenge and commit to learning within their role:
“The best criteria are determination and desire to upskill and be the best that they can be at the job.”
The Chartered Institute’s LinkedIn Live event, ‘Developing supply chain experts: How apprenticeships can elevate your team’ will be held at 12pm on Wednesday (12 February).
Hear directly from Matthew Grimshaw, logistics coordinator at Valmet, technology supplier for the pulp, paper and energy industries, and Lisa Harris, apprenticeships lead at global sieving and filtration specialists Russell Finex, about how the International Freight Forwarding Specialist apprenticeship has boosted business success.
You can register here.
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