We need more apprentices in print, but is the funding there to allow us to bring more young talent into the industry? The BPIF and Print Scotland, both key training providers, explore the issue.
Apprenticeship funding can be a minefield in the UK, particularly when the different nations have different sets of funding sources and requirements for funding apprenticeship delivery. That, paired with an aging workforce and a growing skills gap in the print sector, makes it critical but somewhat difficult to ensure everyone fully understands and has access to the right levels of funding and support to make sure this industry continues to thrive. So says Karly Lattimore, MD of training at the BPIF - and who can argue?
BPIF training continues to try and navigate all the above in order to support apprenticeship delivery for business that operate in the print and graphic communications sectors in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Print Scotland has a handle on the situation there - and together they paint a somewhat jarring picture of current apprenticeship funding across the UK nations.
If you’re based in England you actually have it quite good! As Lattimore points out, and as most will be aware by now, in 2017 the Government introduced the apprenticeship levy. This levy is a 0.5% tax paid by all UK employers with a wage bill of more than £3m. This tax is then ring fenced for these organisations to fund apprenticeship training in their business, but only for businesses in England. Where a business is not an apprenticeship levy payer, in England, they can still access funding to support apprenticeship training whereby the Government will contribute 95% of the funding required for the apprenticeship, with the employer being responsible for the remaining 5%. For example, should a non-levy paying business wish to support an apprentice on the print technician apprenticeship standard, the employer is responsible for £600 whilst the Government will fund the remaining £11,400. Furthermore, for micro businesses employing an apprentice aged 16-18, there are additional grants to support apprenticeship training.
“For BPIF Training, delivering apprenticeships in England, this funding has allowed us to support around 250 apprentices each year starting an apprenticeship from across a range of programmes including the print technician and operative standards, lean manufacturing and business skills, customer service, business administrations and leadership and management. 97% of apprentices who complete one of these programmes remain in employment, in the industry - and without the appropriate level of funding this would not be possible.”
Lattimore continues: “In England, whilst there are some rules around the eligibility of apprentices such as their prior qualifications and learning, access to funding is readily available to employers to support apprentices at any age. But, with the apprenticeship levy funds only being able to be used on apprenticeship training in England, what happens to the funds for business in the rest of the UK, and how is apprenticeship training funded for the smaller organisations?
“Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales manage their own apprenticeship programmes independently of England, and therefore the money raised by the apprenticeship levy from businesses in these areas are transferred to central government to choose how they use the funds for training based on local, economical, and regional need - and not necessarily apprenticeship training.”
Wales
Apprenticeships in Wales are fully funded by the Welsh Government for apprentices over the age of 16 with employer incentive payments available to support recruitment of apprentices with a disability.
“Whilst BPIF Training does not hold a direct contract with the Welsh Government to fund apprenticeship delivery in Wales, we do partner with ACT, a provider based in Cardiff,” explains Lattimore. “Through our sub-contract with ACT Training Group we offer the full range of printing apprenticeships. There are twelve different printing pathways, ranging in specification from print finishing to digital print production, and over 120 different NVQ units covering the huge variety of printing techniques. Over the past year we have seen update in apprenticeships in Wales double and participation in Wales is still growing.”
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland apprenticeship funding is provided by the Department for the Economy (DfE) with full funds being provided for those apprentices aged 16-24 and 50% funding provided for those apprentices aged 25 and over.
An employer incentive payment is also available to employers whose employees successfully complete their Level 2 and/or Level 3 apprenticeship framework. Level 2 and 3 print related apprenticeship are available in Northern Ireland across a range of disciplines including pre-press, packaging, press, print administration and post-press. Lattimore points out that whilst BPIF training has no direct contract with the DfE, nor a current sub-contract to deliver training, it is seeking partnerships to be able to further support the industry in apprenticeship training in Northern Ireland.
Scotland
For those based in Scotland, apprenticeships are funded through the Skills Development Scotland (SDS), with the level of funding contribution dependent on the age of the apprentice, the qualification level, and the apprenticeship sector - with additional funding contributions for those apprentices who are disabled and care-experienced, up to the age of 29.
Print Scotland is the voice of Scotland’s graphics industry and as an approved training provider for modern apprenticeships in print occupations it is leading the lobbying of the Scottish Government to prevent further cuts and to seek a review of funding for apprenticeship frameworks.
“The grants for training an apprentice are much less in Scotland than those in England and have not been increased for several years. There is little doubt that gaining improvements in funding will be necessary for the long-term survival of some training providers that don’t have a diverse training portfolio,” says Garry Richmond, MD Print Scotland.
He points out that print in Scotland is centuries old and that by the 1990/2 had become the fifth largest employer. “However, the main challenge the industry faces now is that the baby boomer generation, who took skilled manual jobs, are set to be retired by 2030 causing a skills shortage of up to 5% across the general labour force. It is therefore difficult to recruit and excite school leavers to consider a career working in the print industry.
“We have shown that with modern apprenticeship training that a career in print can be sustainable, enjoyable and with many progression opportunities.”
Last year, Ultimate Learning Solutions developed an online Learning Platform branded for Print Scotland. “This enables our apprentices to access their SVQ training modules as well as other supplementary training material to enhance their learning experience,” says Richmond.
“The delivery of the programme is now fully modernised, with each apprentice not only able to access the relevant material digitally but also to communicate more efficiently with the course assessor during and after each module. Progress is monitored more easily by both the mentor and the assessor which helps keep the apprentices on track using both handheld digital devices and desktop. Feedback from the apprentices has been positive and all our cohort is now signed up and using the platform.”
Susan Graham, president of Print Scotland, adds: “We have spent a lot of time and effort on the apprenticeship scheme, and I am pleased with the progress and the professionalism of Jim McKenzie our assessor. We are competing in a recruitment pool where demand is high and candidates few. Print is not just ink on paper - it’s a creative craft that needs to be appealing and attractive to a very different generation.”