"Agree to disagree" over apprentice funding as talks continue

Thursday 18 October 2018

Talks will continue over the funding plans for college apprentice courses in Guernsey after the construction industry employers body raised concerns at a meeting this week.

The Guernsey Building Trades Employers Association executive met with the College of Further Education Principal, Louise Misselke last week and again this Monday.

Construction firms in Guernsey had said they were concerned about plans recently released for the college apprentice scheme  saying they were worried about what would happen if plans to slash the current grant in half are acted on.

Last week it was announced that a review into the College of FE's Apprenticeship scheme had identified "five key areas that employers and the College both said need to be focused on and developed." 

Following the meeting where the plans were announced last week, the GBTEA said it was "aware of some of the changes being proposed but not the planned changes to the way the apprentice scheme is funded - which it said will impact on the employers as well as the employees doing the training."

The reduction to the grant currently available to firms taking on apprentices came in the key findings of a review: 

1. Additional industry sectors would benefit from apprenticeships.
2. Employers want to work closely wit the College in the recruitment, and would welcome a partnered approach to applications. 
3. A fast-track option for apprentices to earn their qualifications.
4. Level two qualifications in English and Maths should be a requirement. 
5. The financial grant needs to remain available. 

The review found not all employers needed the grant, but for some to continue to be able to support an apprentice, a grant still needs to be available. 

It was suggested the grant be simplified to a standardised amount of £1,500 per year for the first two years of an apprenticeship. A simpler grant application system, which would be available to all, will be introduced next year.

All employers who already have an apprentice (including those that enrolled in September 2018) will stay on the old grant aid model until they've qualified.

At the time, the GBTEA said it "had not been made aware of the more than halving in the level of grant that was proposed for apprentices undertaking 4-year vocational courses commencing in 2019."

Pictured: Louise Misselke. 

Since those concerns were raised a second meeting was held between Ms Misselke and the GBTEA and it was agreed that a member of the GBTEA will be part of the Grant working group going forward.

A spokesman for the GBTEA said that they had to agree to disagree on certain aspects of the review and the way the findings have been presented to the public.

"Firstly, we agreed to disagree on whether the college have carried out meaningful consultation with the construction industry on their proposals but for the good of the apprenticeship scheme we had to put this aside and find a way forward.

"On the subject of funding, the GBTEA put forward some constructive suggestions on how we felt the proposed grant could be more fairly proportioned between the different industries."

Both the College and the GBTEA said they had identified a number of "useful approaches to adjusting the proposals" and they've agreed this will now be worked on to develop them further.

Both agreed it was "imperative the college and GBTEA work together."

The GBTEA said the two parties also discussed various other proposals on how both sides think attracting students into the industry could be improved, with the GBTEA and the College agreeing to work together to explore how construction firms can attract young people into these "essential professions for our community."