Inquiry into apprenticeships in Wales
Inquiry into apprenticeships in Wales
The Enterprise and Business Committee
undertook an inquiry into Apprenticeships in Wales. The terms of reference for
the inquiry were:
- is the current apprenticeship system providing effective support to
the Welsh economy?
- is the current apprenticeship system meeting the current and future
skills needs of employers in Wales? If not, what needs to be improved?
- with increased priority on apprenticeships for 16-24 year olds, are
apprenticeships an attractive option for young people?
- do the systems for establishing Apprenticeship Standards and
Frameworks and recruiting apprentices work effectively?
Key issues
Issues that the Committee
considered as part of these terms of reference included:
- how effective is employer involvement in the apprenticeship system
in Wales? Has this changed as a result of the current economic
circumstances? Are employers able to find sufficient numbers of young
people with the skills and aptitudes that they require? Do relationships
between employers and training providers work effectively? Are
apprenticeships still limited to certain sectors?
- do social enterprises make effective use of apprentices?
- has the number of apprentices employed by local authorities, and the
public sector generally, increased or decreased? Should the public sector
be recruiting more apprentices?
- the Welsh Government is encouraging Community Benefits clauses in
public sector contracts which can be used to promote the employment of
trainees and apprenticeships. Is this an effective mechanism for
increasing the numbers of apprentices?
- what is the average profile of an apprentice, for example age,
gender, employment sector? Is this profile changing and, if yes, what are
the reasons for this? The National Training Federation for Wales reports
that the average age for an apprentice is 26. What are the reasons for
this? Are apprenticeships generally successful from the perspective of the
apprentice? Have apprenticeship completion rates changed in recent years?
In practice, are apprentices guaranteed a job at the end of the
apprenticeship?
- do Careers Wales and Jobcentre Plus provide effective support for
people wanting to find apprenticeships? Does the new Apprenticeship
Matching Service, run by Careers Wales, work effectively?
- why do young people decide to be apprentices? What factors influence
their decision?
- are apprenticeships an attractive option for young people of all
abilities or are apprenticeships seen as a second best option compared
with higher education? Are attitudes changing and if yes, what are the
reasons for this?
- are apprenticeships fully understood by those who have most
influence on the choices of young people for example parents/carers,
careers teachers in schools, teachers generally? Is there too much complexity
and choice of programme?
- how effective is Welsh Government policy on apprenticeships? How
does its policy of apprenticeships fit into its wider economic and skills
strategies?
- education and training, including apprenticeships are devolved
matters, but employment law is not. Do young people have sufficient rights
and access to apprenticeship training? If not, how could the situation be
improved?
- are the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) promoting and supporting
apprenticeships effectively? How does the capacity of SSCs affect their
performance in this area?
- is European funding being used to support apprenticeships
effectively?
- are there examples of good practice apprenticeship systems in other
countries that Wales can learn from?
Business type: Committee Inquiry
Status: Complete
First published: 12/02/2014
Documents
- Apprenticeships in Wales : Report - October 2012 PDF 403 KB
- * Welsh Government response (PDF 334KB)
- Inquiry into Apprenticeships in Wales - consultation document PDF 29 KB View as HTML (3) 18 KB
- Consultation Response APP01. Councillor Richard Bertin PDF 69 KB View as HTML (4) 4 KB
- Consultation Response APP02. First 4 Skills PDF 113 KB View as HTML (5) 7 KB
- Consultation Response APP03. Working Links PDF 234 KB View as HTML (6) 23 KB
- Consultation Response APP04. ISA Training PDF 184 KB View as HTML (7) 41 KB
- Consultation Response APP05. FSG Tool & Die Ltd PDF 92 KB View as HTML (8) 16 KB
- Consultation Response APP06. Financial Skills Partnership PDF 109 KB View as HTML (9) 5 KB
- Consultation Response APP07. Careers Wales PDF 178 KB View as HTML (10) 105 KB
- Consultation Response APP08. Lantra PDF 193 KB View as HTML (11) 10 KB
- Consultation Response APP09. Chwarae Teg PDF 1 MB
- Consultation Response APP10. JobCentre Plus Wales PDF 89 KB View as HTML (13) 13 KB
- Consultation Response APP11. Forum of Private Business PDF 315 KB View as HTML (14) 59 KB
- Consultation Response APP12. S. A. Harding PDF 81 KB View as HTML (15) 5 KB
- Consultation Response APP13. Unite Wales PDF 677 KB
- Consultation Response APP14. HEFCW PDF 2 MB
- Consultation Response APP15. Asset Skills PDF 327 KB View as HTML (18) 22 KB
- Consultation Response APP16. Care Council for Wales PDF 322 KB View as HTML (19) 39 KB
- Consultation Response APP17. British Retail Consortium (BRC) PDF 14 KB View as HTML (20) 12 KB
- Consultation Response APP19. Skills for Justice PDF 810 KB
- Consultation Response APP20. E-Skills UK PDF 335 KB View as HTML (22) 136 KB
- Consultation Response APP21. Energy & Utility Skills (Cymru) PDF 353 KB View as HTML (23) 32 KB
- Consultation Response APP22. Diverse Cymru PDF 241 KB View as HTML (24) 17 KB
- Consultation Response APP23. The Institute of Historic Building Conservation PDF 1020 KB
- Consultation Response APP24. Wales TUC Cymru PDF 277 KB View as HTML (26) 29 KB
- Consultation Response APP25. Creative Skillset Cymru PDF 280 KB View as HTML (27) 40 KB
- Consultation Response APP26. Coleg Morgannwg PDF 161 KB View as HTML (28) 26 KB
- Consultation Response APP27. Bron Afon Community Housing PDF 218 KB View as HTML (29) 39 KB
- Consultation Response APP28. Construction Skills Wales PDF 688 KB
- Consultation Response APP29. Federation of Small Businesses PDF 1 MB
- Consultation Response APP30. Coleg Menai PDF 191 KB View as HTML (32) 51 KB
- Consultation Response APP31. FSB Additional Evidence PDF 292 KB
- Consultation Response APP32. Airbus PDF 145 KB View as HTML (34) 42 KB
Consultations
- Inquiry into Apprenticeships in Wales (completed)