Apprenticeship Policy - July 2009

Following the White Paper “Apprenticeships in the 21^st Century” and the subsequent Apprenticeships Bill passing into legislation, the Government has articulated its requirements for the changes in policy and operation.

The Specification for Apprenticeship Standards England (SASE) and the Specification for Apprenticeship Standards Wales (SASW) detail the changes the Government is making.  In broad context these are:

·         The introduction of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS)

·         The retirement of the old Apprenticeship Blueprint Specification (estimated October 2009)

·         The introduction of the SASE/SASW requirements (estimated October 2009) which include:
- Introduction of QCF and the phasing out of NQF qualifications by August 2010
- Ability to combine both the “competence” and knowledge elements of the
  apprenticeship into a single qualification albeit assessed separately
- Introduction of Functional Skills to replace Key Skills (England only)
- Introduction of Personal Learning & Thinking Skills (PLTS)
- Changes to the way in which Employment Responsibilities and Rights are
  delivered
- Off-work station training – minimum guided learning hours
- Entry requirements – minimum entry conditions
- Progression routes – UCAS tariff points for level 3 and 4 apprentices

These new requirements will significantly change the way apprenticeships are delivered across the two Nations.

SEMTA is involved in:

·         Quality assuring non-Blueprint compliance apprenticeship frameworks to ensure they are made compliant across the Alliance network of SSCs (25)

·         Quality assuring Blueprint compliant frameworks to ensure that the transition from Blueprint to SASE/SASW is as smooth as possible

·         Development of a web-based development and issuing process which will be completed by October 2010 to allow employers, training providers and colleges to develop new apprenticeship frameworks with their appropriate SSCs

SEMTA will keep NFEC updated on a regular basis on progress being made.

I M Carnell

Head of Learning Strategies  

31 July 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Top