London Apprenticeships

The Guild of Master Craftsmen supports new apprenticeship schemes

A new approach...

Apprenticeships are an important way of unlocking talent and building skills in the work force. Ten years ago, apprenticeships were close to collapse. Now, apprenticeships are back with significant government encouragement and new approaches to make them attractive again to employers. One such new approach has been introduced in London by The London Apprenticeship Company, making it very simple, low cost and low risk for employers.

Knowledge, training and hands-on experience have always been vital for anyone who successfully works in any of the crafts and trades this country has always been famous for. The Guild of Master Craftsmen has always been associated with the highest standards of craftsmanship and professionalism, standards which continue to be considered exceptionally relevant by its members. The Guild plays a significant role in defining those craft professionals who enjoy a career as opposed to just a job, and as part of its belief in the importance of excellence.

The London Apprenticeship Company (LAC) was established this year with the support of a number of government funded agencies and an established Australian apprentice group. The model LAC uses is one where the LAC itself employs the apprentice and loans them to participating companies, whilst supporting the apprentice/company during that period and arranging government funded training.

The LAC aims to make the process of taking on an apprentice really easy for employers, who, for a small fee to the not-for-profit company, will see a reduction in paperwork by not having to deal with the payroll, probationary reviews or pastoral care of an apprentice. In addition it is the employer themselves that decides on the wage rate. LAC will support more than 250 apprenticeships in its first year in a range of sectors, including construction services, and aims to raise this number to at least 1,600 by 2014.

The scheme is aimed at 16 to 25 year olds but is also open to those who are facing the threat of long-term unemployment and are looking for a change of career. The first apprentices, who will combine on the job training while also gaining recognised qualifications such as NVQs, were employed in early March 2009.

A first for the UK

LAC is the first programme of its kind in the UK based on a model successfully operating in Australia for over 25 years with over 20,000 apprentices in place under it. When faced with tough economic times, apprenticeships are a highly effective way to ensure craft and trade professionals have the right skills in place to not only survive the economic downturn but also to prepare business for when the economic climate improves. A feasibility study suggested that in the UK companies’ three biggest objections to hiring apprentices tended to be a lack of time to sort the process out, the absence of a central resource to find good people, and worries about training recruits properly once they were on board. The LAC is designed to address all three by finding, employing and training apprentices, and then placing them straight into industry.

The cooperation between LAC and the Guild of Master Craftsmen provides a cost effective, low risk way of making student craftspeople available to Guild members when they need the assistance, without having to make a long-term commitment.

Richard Walsh at The Guild says "The London Apprenticeship Company provides a badly needed means of taking London students into the workplace, so they can get the experience they need to complete their qualifications. This is a service that I would recommend to Guild members who have their business in and around London and would like to take on an apprentice without any of the accompanying administration issues".

"Organising a training programme of the highest quality in conjunction with the most suitable training providers ensure success in the apprenticeship," says LAC business development executive, Lindsay McCurdy.
"Each apprentice is matched with a suitable training provider offering the highest quality training available, usually with a local college or specialist training organisation. The training providers work directly with us and the employer to provide the best possible training for specific skills and also to the Guild's high standards of quality and service."

For details of the London Apprenticeship Company, either as an apprentice or employer, call 020 7963 8548 or visit www.londonapprenticeship.co.uk.