Proposals for a business administration apprenticeship standard at level 2 have finally been approved after five years of campaigning from employers and training organisations.
The assistant administrator standard was given the nod by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) on Monday with an aim for the remaining assessment and funding approval hurdles to be cleared in time for teaching to begin at the start of the 2025/26 academic year.
IfATE has consistently rejected the proposed apprenticeship since the old-style business administration apprenticeship framework was due to be switched off in 2020. The quango has until now argued that the proposed apprenticeship standard failed to meet its requirements around duration and quality, and overlapped with its level 3 equivalent.
Persistence on the part of the employers and training organisations making up the business and administration trailblazer group appears to have paid off.
The standard, previously criticised for being too public-sector focused, has been revised following input from large private-sector organisations on the IfATE trailblazer group, including Sainsbury’s, Amazon and Coca-Cola. More than 900 private and public sector organisations took part in a survey informing the trailblazer group of the skills and behaviours needed from the standard and get it over the line.
The trailblazer group overseeing the standard can now develop its proposals for the end-point assessment and funding band, which it aims to complete in March.
Back to business
In an email update sent to the group, co-chairs Lisa Shepherdson and Sharon Blyfield said the approval of the assistant administrator standard was “a reflection of the collective commitment we all share to shaping the future of apprenticeships and the importance of that first rung of the ladder for everyone”.
Shepherdson told FE Week the new standard would meet the required 12-month minimum duration and highlighted how the standard had been informed by businesses.
“We’ve now included more to address [business] needs, such as remote working and sustainability, those types of things and a lot more. The duration could be well over the 12 months. Some [learners] that come from the hardest-to-reach areas may need longer.”
Prior to 2020, the level 2 business administration framework was one of the most popular apprenticeships available, clocking up thousands of starters, particularly among women and under-19s.
As frameworks were replaced with standards, the then Institute for Apprenticeships rejected several attempts at a replacement level 2 business administration standard. Employers argued the apprenticeship was needed as a “vital entry route” to careers and social mobility for young people unable to progress to level 3.
Among those leading the charge has been NHS apprenticeships lead Lucy Hunte. Hunte posted on social media earlier this week she was “absolutely delighted” the standard had been approved.
“Thank you to all the employers, colleges, ITPs and AOs who have supported our endeavours for the past five years,” she wrote.
At long last. No one has been able to explain the insanity of IfATE trying to kill off the most popular and necessary apprenticeship historically. It was criminal and a disservice to thousands of young people let down by their schools for whom the apprenticeship route in BA was their best chance to not waste further time in sixth forms.