Apprenticeships prove to be an asset to the arts sector, but red tape is a barrier to more places being made available
57% of the Creative Apprentices (CAs) who joined a vocational qualification scheme run by the National Skills Academy remained with their employers after completing their apprenticeships, according to a new report commissioned by Creative and Cultural Skills. 78% of employers felt that the apprentices were more effective in the workplace as a result of their training.
But although the sector as a whole has responded positively to the Creative Apprenticeships scheme, the report concludes that more needs to be done to reduce the administrative and financial burden that it places on employers. The cost of employing apprentices was found to be a key reason why some employers declined to take them, and this was particularly the case among the small and medium size enterprises that make up the majority of the sector. The concept of ‘freelance CAs’ hired out to several employers appears to be attractive to small businesses that have too few resources to support a Creative Apprenticeship on their own. Others reported a need for the apprenticeships to operate at higher levels, supporting the continuing professional development of staff seeking to move into management roles.
The CA programme in its current form is building momentum within the sector. However, there are insufficient places for would-be apprentices. The scheme, which was launched in 2008, enables participants to gain occupation specific practical and theory-based qualifications. More 700 have completed it to date. The new evaluation of the programme, which focuses only on the latest cohort of 210 Creative Apprentices, includes a calculation that the scheme will deliver a net gain of c£2.4m to the UK economy over the coming decade, and net gains of some £16.4m are forecast for the next five cohorts of learners as annual apprentice places increase to 400 in year 5.