If businesses in the hardest-hit sectors are to thrive post-lockdown, new skills and new ways of working will be essential, writes Stuart Shield

For apprenticeship training providers and colleges up and down the country, the past month has seen a rapid shift to digital delivery. And, for many, it’s proving a great success.

At Catch22, we’ve been delivering our property-management apprenticeships almost entirely via Microsoft Teams. Not only has this meant quality training can continue, but we’re actually signing up brand new learners. 

Some apprentices who are being upskilled have been furloughed by their current employers and are therefore able to spend more time focusing on their apprenticeships.

We’ve changed the frequency of our learning sessions – from one-a-month face-to-face sessions, to (on average) an hour’s session every two to three days. Some are one-to-one, others are group sessions. Our apprentices are visibly more engaged, enthusiastic and are performing better. 

We’ve also seen greater engagement from employers (in particular, senior managers) who are more easily able to observe apprenticeship training and assessment sessions now that they’re being done digitally. Previously we had struggled with some senior leaders, who couldn’t see the value of apprentices. Now, though, with greater exposure, they are recognising the benefit and are investing more in the scheme. 

Such is the success, our plan is to include digital delivery in our future apprenticeship training programmes so that we have a mixed model of delivery. 

Adapting to business needs

We use a partnership model working with employers, aimed at delivering bespoke training designed to provide mutually tangible benefits. For example, we have developed supplementary bespoke modules with some of our partners to meet the needs of the current climate – including a module on handling angry, difficult customers, and effectively managing expectations. 

If there’s any certainty during what is otherwise a period of huge uncertainty, it’s that businesses and their operational functions will need to change. New practices and procedures (whether that’s moving to increased digital delivery, or adapting to staff shortages) are being implemented everywhere. As a result, we’re seeing growing skills gaps, people shortages and therefore more development opportunities.

Brexit and Covid: the double blow to hospitality, tourism and property

Industries such as hospitality and housing and property have suffered a double blow in recent times – first, the implications of Brexit, and now, the pandemic. Travel and tourism are suffering in the current lockdown, with no obvious endpoint in sight and a huge reluctance from anyone to plan future travel. 

As for retail – while some businesses, such as supermarkets, food stores and online retailers, will be doing well and actively recruiting, high-street stores are in crisis. The move to solely online trading has been the approach of some, while others are preparing for re-opening, albeit with increased hygiene and social distancing measures in place. All this requires staff – whether new or existing – to have different skills. 

So if businesses in these hard-hit sectors are to survive, then thrive, once lockdown measures start to be lifted, they will need to adapt rapidly.

Why apprentices hold the key  

Forward-thinking businesses are looking at how they build capacity back into the organisations by reskilling or upskilling existing staff. This, as well as bringing in new staff with relevant skills, is going to be essential. This messaging is something that training providers can promote to businesses – particularly those that have apprenticeship levy to spend and are looking to how they adapt in the post-Covid-19 world.

Bringing in new apprentices who are adaptable can help boost capacity and add fresh energy to companies. Apprenticeships are developed in-house and allow businesses to both retain (through upskilling or reskilling existing staff) or bringing in new talent, without the time and expense of going through a lengthy recruitment process. 

Apprentices are a valuable investment for any organisation. And we know from the businesses that we work with, and provide apprenticeships for, in times of difficulty it is often the apprentices who prove among the most valuable staff, delivering the frontline services that help keep businesses afloat.

If businesses can retain and develop the apprentices into the managers of the future, then even as businesses go through natural attrition and staff churn, they can be confident that they have the key skills within the organisation to survive even the most brutal of societal shocks.

Students need support more than ever during the Covid-19 crisis, and rapidly finding new ways to reach and engage with them has been challenging and eye-opening, says Dave Hopley, director of student services at Stoke on Trent College

The college halls are almost empty, but it’s been a busy day in student support services. This morning we sent out our weekly e-vouchers to all our students in receipt of the vulnerable bursary fund payments, or free school meals, so they could access money for food. 

Our trained counsellors provided emotional support to students and their families via video call, instant messaging and telephone. Two of our peer mentors – trained students who support other students – hosted their twice-weekly Zoom wellbeing session while another prepared for their weekly online craft workshop. Our wellbeing warriors wrote their blog, offering tips on self-care, body positivity, managing anxiety and mindfulness.

Our admissions team responded to calls and emails from young people worried about exam results, reassuring them that they’ll still have a place at the college in September; and we hosted the first of ten virtual open event sessions running throughout the week. 

Our careers team supported worried members of the public as well as students, providing virtual careers advice on training, CV writing and job hunting to anyone who needs it. 

While our doors may be closed to all but our vulnerable students, the college is still very much open. However, Covid-19 forced us to become a virtual college overnight and making sure that our 10,000 students and 400 staff feel safe, supported and engaged in our community has been one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced. 

It’s been a steep learning curve as we adapt to working in this virtual world. We’ve had to upskill in new areas of digital technology in a short space of time. Some staff didn’t even have wi-fi in their homes until this year, yet now they’re using digital technology every day. 

This has been one of the positive impacts of Covid-19. We’ve pulled together to introduce things almost overnight which would have taken months or even years to implement. People haven’t been afraid to come up with new ideas and try them out, even if they may not work. We set up an online debating club which was a success, and we’ve now started a Ludo club. We’re running a weekly group throughout May for Ramadan and we’re launching “Mr Slotivator” sessions – fun workouts to keep students active. 

It can be overwhelming for staff as well as students as they’re adapting to new ways of working while juggling their own family responsibilities, so we’ve taken a proactive approach to their wellbeing. We’ve introduced a “my acts of self-care” initiative and virtual time-to-talk sessions. We all want to feel connected, even when we’re apart. 

Engaging with students was challenging at first. They may be more digitally capable but they are not used to working in this way. We started small and built things up, using various communications channels to promote services. Word got out, students enjoyed something and told their friends, interest grew, and feedback so far has been really positive.  

We’d all like to go back to normal soon but there are definitely positives we’ll take from this experience and our virtual college won’t disappear when the doors reopen. Some things have worked so well online and will continue to complement what we do face to face in the long term. For example, our wellbeing services have become much more accessible and the team has supported more than 200 students and their families online. We’ve had more nominations than ever for our student union elections because students have found it easier to submit their manifesto online.  

I’m proud of the student services teams, who are working really hard at home to complement what our academic staff are doing, making sure that not only do our students achieve, but that they’re safe and supported in this unprecedented time.

It is a mistake for the ESFA to use the apprenticeship achievement rate to measure the quality of provision. Neil Davies explains the true context that should be considered

I understand a journalist’s need to create the eye-catching headline, otherwise their article may get overlooked. A link to an article dropped into my inbox last week and on opening it, I inwardly groaned. Off the webpage sprang: “Providers that failed to meet the minimum standard for apprenticeship achievement rates last year will be informed next week of the government’s ‘action to challenge this situation’.”

The article went on to quote from an FE Week webcast earlier that week in which the skills minister Gillian Keegan had expressed concern at historic “low-quality” apprenticeships delivery and said: “I was quite shocked at some of the lower quality delivery that happened in the first stages of the levy being introduced.”

I feel sure that I join many ITPs who are fed up with statements that malign all our efforts and achievements without, seemingly, having an understanding of the full picture – a picture created by government. I believe some context is important.

The minister links lower quality to the advent of the levy. Whether a fan or not, the source of funding is not related to quality of delivery. Quantum certainly will be. In recent funding band reviews, government has reduced initial funding allocations across many apprenticeships. So if the vast majority of employers are unable to make a cost contribution, what might give if funding is reduced?

The minister and the Education & Skills Funding Agency are using the apprenticeship achievement rate (QAR) as a measure of the quality of provision. I do not see the direct link.

ITPs have done an incredible job in taking the scant new standard descriptors and developing employer-specific training plans. Such radical change is going to take time to implement effectively as both ITPs and employers learn to adapt. Do we believe that all this effort and investment is recognised?

Government insisted that ITPs start delivery of the new standards even though, for many, there were no end-point assessment organisations (EPAOS) approved. ITPs had to design delivery programmes to meet employer needs without knowing what the final assessment criteria might be. Do we believe that this potential systemic mismatch has been considered before criticism is levelled?

New EPAOS had no experience of implementing theoretical processes, and an arbitrary 90 days was deemed an appropriate timescale for end-point assessment. How many ITPs, learners and employers have been impacted by the inability or incapacity of EPAOs to respond to the pipeline of completing apprentices?

How many ITPs suffer financially because the 90 days was not achieved? How many ITPs suffer financially because their programme, agreed with the employer, did not quite map to the EPA final-assessment criteria? This resulted in either the loss of the vital completion element or incurring unbudgeted costs to get learners through EPA, or both.

Without an exemption Level 2, English and Maths became a mandatory element of apprenticeships. I dare say there will be many a tale of ITPs doing their utmost to get a learner through their functional skills, incurring additional costs, losing the 20 per cent completion payment. We all know that, despite best efforts, some learners will not achieve. Is it a fair indicator of quality?

The ESFA QAR number itself is difficult to reconcile and it is too blunt a tool to be an indicator of quality. ITP performance is affected by factors completely outside their influence or control: left employer, changed job role, on maternity leave, sickness absence etc. The raw data is available, so would it not be fairer to be judged on a wider range of factors. Would not a percentage entering EPA gateway and then the percentage achieving be a more interesting measure?

Our organisation was significantly impacted by the lack of capacity in EPAOs, and despite best efforts, a material number of our achievers fell into the following year. Curiously, while writing this article, the expected ESFA letter has dropped into my inbox. Thankfully, no intended action, as they have accepted the reasons behind their number. In our submission, to demonstrate the blip, we were able to point to currently outstanding achievement numbers for this funding year. Symptomatic, but sadly no word of recognition or appreciation of the good work being done.