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Sharing apprenticeships between businesses to maximise learning

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Information about the provider

B-wbl is a work-based learning consortium led by Pembrokeshire College, consisting of 11 providers including six colleges of further education and five private providers.  At the time of inspection in June 2015, the consortium was delivering to 5,000 learners across a range of higher apprenticeship, apprenticeship, foundation apprenticeships, traineeships and engagement programmes.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The consortium has a well-established shared apprenticeship scheme set up by Coleg Sir Gâr and Carmarthenshire County Council, which offers a mutual support infrastructure to its construction company members.  The success of this can be seen in the direction, assistance and business development support for the promotion of construction training in Carmarthenshire.  The Consortium has expanded this network into Ceredigion. Pembrokeshire College, as the consortium lead, has recently implemented a shared apprenticeship scheme along the same principles for the Engineering and Energy sector companies based on the Haven.  The scheme offers apprentices the opportunity to obtain work on a shared company basis.  This makes sure that learners deveop a wide range of skills and enhance their employment opportunities.

Construction and engineering companies in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire are benefiting from two shared apprenticeship schemes that have been established by members of the B-wbl consortium.   These schemes have been set up to support both the industries and individual learners, who can gain an apprenticeship that encompasses a range of industry experience.

Many small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and indeed larger companies are sometimes unable to take on an apprentices because they are uncertain that the volume of work to be undertaken is sufficient to merit appointment of a ‘full-time’ employee.  The benefit of the shared apprenticeship schemes that are in place within the consortium is the range of experience that the apprentices obtain and that the companies only need take on the apprentices for work that is required to be undertaken. Two successful schemes within the consortium are as follows:

Coleg Sir Gâr has had a long and successful partnership working with Carmarthenshire County Council forming Carmarthenshire Construction Training Association Limited (CCTAL).  CCTAL is a partnership of diverse contractors located within the Carmarthenshire region.  Its members are driven towards a common goal being committed to sustainability and business improvement whilst offering a mutual support infrastructure to its members.  The active networking within the group provides direction, assistance and business development support for the promotion of construction training in Carmarthenshire.  The success of this partnership has been nationally recognised, winning UK and Wales National Training Awards for its work in training and developing apprentices.

The Pembrokeshire Energy Workforce Development Group included key representatives in the Energy sector.  This group accessed European funding for a project to up-skill the workforce.  Pembrokeshire College worked with these employers to tailor the provision for this sector, which laid the foundations for the recently launched Pembrokeshire Shared Apprenticeship Scheme.  Employers in the energy sector have raised nearly £50,000 to fund the scheme in which apprentices are able to obtain work on a shared company basis.  This has enabled five apprentices to be supported into employment where the SME they are working for may well not have been able to support the full salary so would have not been in a position to offer employment.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

The real benefit to learners from participating in these apprenticeship schemes is the range of experience that they can receive, which can set them up for better opportunities in future full-time employment.  Experiencing working for a number of companies can only better prepare and enhance learners’ skill set for the world of work.

 

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