Minorities are missing out on the opportunities apprenticeships can provide, new research shows.
A report by the Learning and Work Institute, due to be published ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, states that on the basis of current trends, and considering the likely impact of the levy, the government is “largely on track” to achieve its target of 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020.
“However, there is a risk of hitting the target but missing the point,” it warns. “To avoid this, we need to turbocharge our focus on access and quality. This can help us grasp a once-in-a-generation chance to build world-class vocational skills.”
There are significant inequalities in apprenticeship participation, the research finds. “People from black, Asian and minority ethnic [BAME] backgrounds, from low-income families, and with health problems and disabilities, are less likely to undertake an apprenticeship. There is also significant gender segregation by sector and occupation,” it concludes.
The report comes just weeks after the Department for Education announced the formation of the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network, a group of 23 businesses, including Rolls-Royce, the BBC, BAE Systems and a number of small- and medium-sized employers, which is aiming to promote diversity within apprenticeships.
Championing diversity
The network will champion apprenticeships and diversity among employers, and encourage more people from under-represented groups, including those with disabilities, women and members of BAME communities, to consider apprenticeships.
According to the report, entitled Three Million Apprenticeships: building ladders of opportunity, people from BAME backgrounds make up 15.6 per cent of the working-age population but just 10.5 per cent of apprenticeship starts - despite accounting for 19 per cent of all applications to the Skills Funding Agency’s find-an-apprenticeship website.
“White applicants were twice as likely to succeed in their application than BAME applicants,” the report states.
Shakira Martin, vice-president for FE at the NUS students’ union, said: “Unfortunately, what this research shows matches our experience of working with BAME apprentices and the experiences they have talked to us about. From dealing with micro-aggressions at their workplaces to the lack of pastoral support offered by training providers, there are many examples of BAME apprentices having to deal with barriers to their success.”
Ms Martin, added: “There is a massive issue with gendered pay gaps as well, with industries with high levels of women in apprenticeships paying significantly less than those with high levels of men in apprenticeships.”
This is an edited version of an article in the 3 March edition of TES. Subscribers can read the full story here. To subscribe, click here. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here. TES magazine is available at all good newsagents.
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