As National Apprenticeship Week 2010 ended on Friday, it is hoped the publicity surrounding the week of events organised by the  National Apprenticeship Service has encouraged both learners  and employers to look into and take up the wealth of opportunities on offer by the Government.

I admit until I started my Modern Apprenticeship with the Isle of Wight Council in November 2009 I was totally unaware as to the history of Apprenticeships or indeed how this would be the best move I could make in my career choice. 

After having met Tony Robinson at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, his breadth of knowledge created an impetus for me to discover more on the history of apprenticeships and to share some current information with the readers of Island Pulse.

Island Apprentices Take Time Out With Tony Robinson. 

Apprenticeships have a long tradition in the United Kingdom, dating back to around the 12th century, but records from early Rome and Egypt reveal that people have been transferring skills from one generation to another in some form of apprenticeship through the ages.

A method of providing for the care, education and vocational training of children, many of the historical apprenticeships kept alive a knowledge of crafts and skills that were passed on largely by family tradition.

Many parents could not afford to send their children to school, and without an education, youngsters usually went into domestic service, undertook farm work or learned a trade. A completed apprenticeship generally provided the best means of making a living.

Children whose parents could not support them were indentured to masters who agreed to teach them a trade or craft. The child’s parents sometimes had to pay the master, and if the apprentice was very lucky was given a small wage.  Apprentices were usually bound to their masters for many years until they were required to make a master or test piece hence how the term ‘masterpiece’ came about.  This sample of work could then be submitted for inspection by a group of masters to gain guild recognition of their status as “freemen” or as we know today as freemasons.

In modern times, apprenticeship became less important, especially as employment in heavy industry declined and traditional apprenticeships reached a low point, but in1986, National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were introduced, to revitalise vocational training.

As of 2009 there were as many as 180 apprenticeship frameworks. Unlike traditional apprenticeships, the current scheme extends beyond craft and skilled trades to parts of the service sector with no apprenticeship tradition.  The Department for Children, Schools and Families has stated its intention to make apprenticeships a “mainstream” part of England’s education system.

Employers who offer apprenticeship places have an employment contract with their apprentices, but off-the-job training and assessment is wholly funded by the state for apprentices aged between 16 and 18.  In England, Government only contributes 50% of the cost of training for apprentices aged 19 and over.

Government agencies the Learning and Skills Council contract with ‘learning providers’ to deliver apprenticeships, and may accredit them as a Centre of Vocational Excellence or National Skills Academy. These organisations provide off-the-job tuition and manage the bureaucratic workload associated with the apprenticeships. Providers are usually private training companies but might also be Further Education colleges, voluntary sector organisations, Chambers of Commerce or employers themselves.

If you live on the Isle of Wight and are looking for an Apprenticeship, or an employer looking for an apprentice, there is a whole range of information to help you decide if  Modern Apprenticeships are the right route for you.

www.iwight.com/council/working_for_the_council/modern_apprenticeships/modernap.asp

www.iwigts.org/apprenticeships.php

www.iwcollege.ac.uk/section.php?title=Apprenticeships

www.htptraining.com

www.smarttar.co.uk

Isle of Wight Integrated Youth Support Service

Click on bold text within the article above or go directly to the main Apprenticeship website: www.apprenticeships.org.uk