Parents call on businesses to do more to support apprenticeships

16 March 2016 -

A new white paper from CMI reveals how parental views of apprenticeships are improving

Matt Scott

Parents want businesses to do more to support apprentices according to new research from CMI.

The survey of 1,003 parents found that just 16% think employers are doing enough to provide apprenticeships, and 72% support the Apprenticeship Levy first announced by Chancellor George Osborne in last year’s Autumn Statement.

In a separate survey of CMI members, two in three managers (67%) also backed plans for the Levy, with only 9% opposing the idea.

The findings were presented to an audience of leading employers and higher education institutions in Manchester as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2016.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “As every good business knows, skilled people lie at the heart of success. That’s why we’re introducing the Apprenticeship Levy, which will give employers the power to build the highly skilled workforce they need.

“Apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to choose the path that’s right for them while helping to drive up productivity. This is why we have been showing a real commitment to offering high quality degree apprenticeships – they will help give young people the chance to succeed like never before.”

The competitive job market, alongside an ongoing skills shortage, has driven an interest in combined education pathways, such as the new Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, both with parents and businesses.

Parents are keen to see employers contributing more to the funding of such training, with 70% agreeing that larger employers should take on apprentices by law and 76% calling for them to pay for their training and wages.

And the value of such an investment is clear to see.

Research from the National Apprenticeship Service found that 71% of apprentices remain with the same employer after joining, and businesses employing apprentices see a £214 per week increase in productivity. Chartered Managers add an average of £391,000 of value to their employers.

CMI chief executive Ann Francke said: “Degree apprenticeships are one of the great business opportunities of our time. By combining a high-level apprenticeship with world-class university education and professional development through to chartered status, they’ll produce a generation of professionals who will make a real impact in the workplace before they’ve even finished their studies.

“That’s especially true of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, a new route for professional management. At a time when management performance has been identified as the biggest factor in boosting productivity, there’s an urgent need to raise our game when it comes to management and leadership.”

The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, which was launched in November 2015, is now offered by major companies including Serco, Nestlé, Barclays and Pizza Hut.

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Kath Austin, people and marketing director at Pizza Hut Restaurants, said the launch of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship had allowed them to train their staff in a new and unique way.

“We developed our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship with Manchester Metropolitan University, and it’s the first of its kind in the hospitality industry,” she said. “It’s recognition of the role hospitality plays in employment in this country, and signifies the importance we place on developing and retaining skilled young people in our business.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to the traditional university path; we believe strongly in offering all our employees the chance to develop to any level they want to achieve.”

“The Government’s decision to drive apprenticeships to the fore of business practice will only benefit everyone,” she added.

Find out more about the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship here