In this, National Apprenticeships Week, trade unions have again been engaging in the debate about the future of apprenticeships and promoting their work and their value. A key focus for unionlearn and the TUC has been on the issues around equality and the quality of the schemes provided. There has been much improvement in the outlook for apprenticeships and for the standards of training that they provide, but there is still work to be done in this area.
unionlearn and the TUC have been engaging in this debate because we believe apprenticeships are union business. Through union learning reps and other reps, trade unions are playing their part in trying to create better quality apprenticeships and greater equality for those taking part in them.
This was a theme that we have been looking at for this year’s National Apprenticeships Week. TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady was keen to stress the importance of equalities issues and access when she addressed unionlearn’s conference on apprenticeships on Thursday. She highlighted the problems we have seen with some short-term schemes that have not delivered for those on them and the real issues we still see around occupational segregation issues for young female apprentices.
Occupational segregation remains a big problem and women are often still pointed towards ‘traditional female roles’. For example, only three per cent of engineering apprentices are women and those industries which have traditionally been male dominated pay higher wages, leading to a pay gap between men and women apprentices.
unionlearn and the TUC believe that each and every person entering the workplace deserves an equal chance to develop their skills and that quality apprenticeships bring a wider benefit to society. We believe this is a beneficial approach for individuals, for the collective workplace, but also for the employer and the economy. Unlocking the workforce’s potential saves money in retention and recruitment as well as fostering loyalty.
That’s why we are campaigning for a better minimum wage for apprentices, ensuring that quality is the driving factor on apprenticeships, and delivering proper skills for a substantial period of time.
Speaking at our conference, Pete Waterman (he of Kylie, Steps and Rick Astley fame), highlighted the huge benefits that employing apprentices has brought to his business (he employs over 20 in his train engineering company) and increased the reputation of his business for quality workmanship. This has included ensuring he gets the best people he can for the job, overcoming traditional stereotypes by taking on women engineering apprentices and ensuring that they get the same quality of training.
Pete endorsed the need for apprenticeship schemes to be substantial and of good quality. He made it clear that his apprentices must do at least one year, attend college one day a week and be sure that it will lead to a proper skilled job at the end of it. That end point is vital to ensuring those taken part feel they are getting something of quality.
Much progress has been made but we need to keep campaigning to ensure that the kind of apprenticeship Pete Waterman offers, which has led good quality jobs for those who have taken part, are the norm. We need to tackle the cultural and structural problems that young people face that make it harder for them to make non-traditional choices.
Skills and training are vital to tackling the problem the country faces of long-term youth unemployment and apprenticeships are a key element in that. This is an agenda we can’t afford to ignore or get wrong; it is in all our interests to ensure we deliver on this. The union movement will continue to ensure that good quality apprenticeships are offered to our young people entering the workplace.
—————————————————————————————
James Asser is communications and marketing manager at unionlearn
—————————————————————————————