Claire Arbery, director at West of England Institute of Technology, says with it being the national week to celebrate apprenticeships I have been asking myself why do technical skills not get the recognition they deserve?
Recently I took part in a round table discussion about data skills for the digital age. During this debate it was revealed that nearly 60% of those attending had trouble finding people with the right skill sets in the specialist technology jobs, alongside this a second live poll revealed that 50% of the participants require a degree as the entry requirements for their roles. Reflecting on this I wondered if the two were linked? Are we obsessed with degrees, and are we having an unintentional negative impact on our diversity in the workforce?
A brief history
The new Modern Apprenticeship was actually launched 25 years ago and was the government attempt to improve the skills and training being delivered to young people and an alternative to the YTS programme. Whilst apprenticeships were supported throughout the last 20 years it's been the introduction of the levy, a charge to large employers towards the costs of apprenticeship funding that has created a change in behaviours.
Impact of the levy
Whilst the introduction of the levy has focused some attention onto the use of apprenticeship frameworks and standards, some employers have used this to replace their existing staff development, rather than attract new talent and grow their own staff.
One of my clients recruited both graduates and apprentices into their business. One of the challenges they reported was that graduates joining the business had very little real-life business experience and using the relevant software tools and equipment needed for the role. In contrast the apprentices were adding value to the business within the second year, and had a better understanding of the process and skills needed then the graduates entries at the same point.
Apprenticeships are more recognised in the workplace but this level of technical skill and knowledge still does not have parity with those who obtain a degree. Why?
Changing behaviours to attract a more diverse workforce
What are the skills, and knowledge you need for the role? By using this as a starting point, you can shape the person specification and the job description accordingly. If you need someone with degree level skills, could you upskill an existing staff member, using the funding from the Government, with 95% funded for SMEs.
Creating a more diverse workforce brings wider benefits to your organisation and a new perspective. By mandating a degree, you could be excluding a whole part of society who are equally skilled at the job role, but did not have the means to attend a University place. I am not saying all degrees are bad, but by specifying a degree only you may be excluding those who really have the skills and experience to do the job you really want.
Here to help
Part of the work of the West of England IoT is to support those who traditionally would not consider Higher Education to reach a higher skilled role by accessing training in a more local setting. There are opportunities for adults to upskill and reskill using both Apprenticeship and Higher Education funding, and we are committed to increasing the numbers of students from areas that do not traditionally access this level of skills and training.
If you are looking to recruit new staff in the future, why not consider an Apprentice?
As always feel free to pop me an email at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @WE_IoT