The first 100 applicants have now been awarded professional recognition throughthe brand-new Post-Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme (PARS). So what have we learned, and how will we turn early success into systemic improvement for apprentices?
PARS is a unique collaboration between the Chartered Institution for Further Education and the Association of Apprentices. It marks the first time apprentices from all sectors and industries can receive an award and the right to use post-nominal designations (CSA, CAA, CHA or CGA, depending on level).
These post-nominals are designed to demonstrate apprentices’ commitment to continuous development and their attainment of professional standards. And it’s working.
More and more apprentices are applying for PARS once their apprenticeship certificates are in hand. This signals a broad acknowledgment of how helpful the awards are in helping them take the next steps in their post-completion journeys.
So far, we’ve seen 100 apprentices from levels 2 to 7 and from industries such as IT, engineering, hospitality and finance among the first to receive their award. It’s hugely exciting to see them share their certificates and proudly use their post-nominal letters, fully supported by their employers in reaching this standard.
Of course, there are well-established recognition ladders in some professions which have been mapped to apprenticeship standards. But these are limited. Instead, PARS focuses on the cross-cutting skills and experiences that individuals are deriving from this form of learning with employment.
It is an important step in elevating the professional status of apprenticeships as a trusted and powerful skills pathway, and that matters greatly. Apprenticeships are critical to the country’s productivity and growth ambitions and essential for any industrial strategy to be effective.
This an important step in elevating the professional status of apprenticeships
They are also vital in supporting social mobility and spreading opportunity, which makes them central to not one, but two of the new government’s core missions.
In this context, improving apprenticeship retention and achievement is imperative, as is reversing the decline in apprenticeship starts at lower levels.
A rise in the availability of apprenticeship standards across a wider range of occupations is welcome, but boosting their currency and visibility is an important means of building momentum and incentivising full completion.
So far, the support from the apprenticeship sector has been amazing. From the time we announced the development of PARS, employers, training providers, awarding organisations and others have been right behind us, recognising this as a game-changer for achievement rates.
As we start the new academic year, many providers are embracing PARS, including it in their recruitment campaigns and embedding it into their induction programmes. Others are supporting recently completed apprentices and those who have completed since 2019 to apply.
And so are employers. Coca Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) is the first employer in the country to sponsor their apprentices to obtain a PARS award. At a graduation ceremony in July, Sharon Blyfield OBE, head of early careers and apprenticeships at CCEP announced that their completed apprentices will be the first to have this opportunity, and it will be embedded for future apprentices as part of their offer.
Meanwhile, awarding body NCFE is the first organisation to offer a bursary to eligible apprentices. With a committed initial £5,000 bursary pot, NCFE will support level 2 and 3 apprentices from underserved backgrounds across a range of sectors with their applications.
One of the many by-products of PARS is its ability to provide useful insight into the apprentice experience and its return on investment (ROI). This data can be challenging for the sector to monitor consistently, but we have already learned a lot.
For example, the top skills and behaviours apprentices say they’ve gained on their programmes are communication (87 per cent), confidence (80 per cent), and problem-solving (also 80 per cent).
Furthermore, PARS collates information on the apprentices’ immediate destinations post-completion. From this, we have learned that 85 per cent have stayed with their employer and, of these, one-third have already been promoted.
For these reasons and more, PARS has significant potential to integrate into the apprenticeship journey. Reaching our first 100 graduates so quickly represents an early milestone, but the road ahead will require support from the whole sector.
To get involved or find out more, visit www.associationofapprentices.org.uk or www.fecharter.org.uk , or register for our live webinar on 1 October
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