Is Apprenticeship the Right Word?

Being new to a training provider company (SP Training) part of my own learning has been understanding the new apprenticeships and the Levy payments for businesses with a £3 million plus wage bill.

My first impression of apprenticeships was ‘this is a scheme for 16 -19 years old who are starting work and to help employers attract young people into work‘. Well I was wrong! Although all of my initial thought is true an apprenticeship can be for anyone age 16 and over. Apprentices can either be starting a career or already in work and looking to upskill / work towards a promotion.

This is where I started questioning the word apprenticeships? At SP Training we see a lot of career progressions, for example, we get who have worked in a warehouse but want to progress to be a LGV driver for the business. This sort of progression is great and we can help staff achieve this via the Levy. But can you imagine saying to a 30 + year old who has worked for the company for many years, “You will be doing an apprenticeship in LGV driving”! We work with the employers to break down this misconception about apprenticeships and how to explain this to the employee.

To finish I would welcome your views on the following;

• Are you aware of your levy payments (if you have a pay bill over £3 million)?
• Are you aware that the apprenticeship can help upskilling and progression of existing staff at any age?
• Do you think apprenticeship is the right word? If no, what would you call it?

Thank you for your time

Stuart