Travel with Champo

The Perks of Walking (Infographic)

 

History of Apprenticeships (From NAS Site)

 

Britain has a long history of Apprenticeships, which stretches back to the guilds of the Middle Ages. In 1563 the system became more prescribed and regulated: the Elizabethan Statute of Artificers set out terms and conditions for training (including a duration of seven years and for the master–apprentice relationship). Apprenticeships expanded in the following two centuries, with new legislation on working conditions, environment and the conduct of apprentices in their leisure time.

Another milestone of legislation was passed in 1802 – the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act, whose provisions included a 12-hour working day and a requirement that factory apprentices were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. These developments led to the repeal of the 1563 Statute in 1814. After that year, practising a skill although un-Apprenticed was no longer illegal. The new act also loosened statutory controls over Apprenticeships, by removing the requirement for a minimum of seven years to be spent on one.

By the late nineteenth century, Apprenticeships had spread from artisan trades such as building and printing to the newer industries of engineering and shipbuilding – and later to plumbing and electrical work. Although there were approximately 240,000 apprentices by the mid 1960s, there were growing concerns about the effectiveness of Apprenticeship training. It was criticised for its exclusivity, for being male-dominated, for focusing on serving time rather than on outcomes, and for a failure to embrace new and expanding occupations. Numbers had decreased to some 53,000 (‘average in learning‘ figure) by 1990 – the decline was exacerbated by rising post-16 participation in full-time education, a lack of public funding for Apprenticeships, and the effect of the Youth Training Scheme and Youth Training programme. These initiatives catered for young people who might otherwise have done an Apprenticeship, but the quality of provision was often questionable and both programmes contributed to a poor perception of vocational training generally.

Since the mid 1990s, governments have been rebuilding the programme in an adjusted economic and institutional context. This has required state support, as has been the case in almost all countries with a sizeable Apprenticeship programme (the level of state intervention in this country has varied over recent decades, from levy-funded programmes via the industrial training boards in the 1960s and 1970s, to no support or intervention at all in the early 1990s). In response to concerns about skills shortages, especially at intermediate levels, in 1993 the Government announced plans for a new Apprenticeship scheme at Level 3 – Modern Apprenticeships. Prototypes were introduced the following year and the scheme became fully operational in 1995. The Modern Apprenticeship was focused almost entirely on occupational competence, and did not require specific technical learning.

Since 1997 a number of the programme elements have been reformed.

• In 1998, the Training Standards Council (subsequently the Adult Learning Inspectorate) began an inspection of work-based learning providers. In 2007, responsibility for inspection was transferred to Ofsted.


• Level 2 Apprenticeships were introduced in 2000.


• In 2000, the LSC took on responsibility for funding Apprenticeships from the Training and Enterprise Councils.


• The technical certificate was introduced in 2003/04 to explicitly require theoretical knowledge from Apprentices (and, implicitly, structured off-workstation training).


• The Apprenticeships family was re-branded in 2004.


• The Apprenticeships blueprint was introduced in 2005 to provide updated guidance for Sector Skills Councils on how to define their Apprenticeship frameworks.

The result of these changes, coupled with the increased investment made by the Government since 1997, has been a major improvement in the number of Apprentices and in the quality of Apprenticeships. There were 279,700 Apprenticeship starts in the 2009/10 academic year in England, compared to 239,900 in 2008/09. Completion rates – which once indicated severe problems with recruitment practice and quality – have been transformed. 171,500 people successfully completed an Apprenticeship in 2009/10 compared to 143,400 in 2008/09; completion rates were 74% in 2009/10 compared to 37% in 2004/05.

In January 2008 a new organisation, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), was announced and officially launched in April 2009. The service was created to bring about a significant growth in the number of employers offering Apprenticeships.

The NAS has total end to end responsibility for the delivery of Apprenticeships that includes: Employer Services; Learner Services; and a web-based vacancy matching system (Apprenticeship vacancies). This online system enables individuals to search and apply for live vacancies and allows employers, and their training providers to advertise their vacancies to a wide range of interested applicants.

The service has ultimate accountability for the national delivery of targets and co-ordination of the funding for Apprenticeship places. It acts to overcome barriers to the growth of the programme and assumes responsibility for promoting Apprenticeships and their value to employers, learners and the country as a whole.

Preparation Begins for Everest Trip

Well everyone, it's getting closer and closer to the day that I leave for Everest.

I will hopefully be able to give you regular updates en route, depending on connection to Internet and cellular service, but I will do my best.

Please remember its all for a great cause: the Teenage Cancer Trust www.virginmoneygiving.com/paulchampion

The first trial is to get all of this into the red bag!!!

Amazingly I managed, and way under weight as well. I hope the rest of the trip is that easy.... But I very much doubt it!!!

Well I'll post more as Sunday approaches.

A trip to London and Peterborough first. Keep coming back for Everest Trip News, to donate cash and for the best good news stories about Apprenticeships you can find anywhere in the universe.

Pass link onto all your friends, contacts or rich people!!

-- Post From My Amazing Wandering iPhone

TUC Apprenticeships Toolkit

This excellent toolkit is a resource for union reps and ULRs who are negotiating with employers on Apprenticeships or who are approaching an employer to discuss the possibility of taking on apprentices. The factsheets provide concise information on a range of topics related to Apprenticeships.

This toolkit is intended to be used as a reference and information resource for reps. Factsheets can be taken out and given directly to an employer if information on a specific topic is required.

Download full toolkit [PDF 1.6mb] go to:
http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/initiatives/learn-3338-f0.cfm

The youngster ' s champion

Paul Champion, North East Apprenticeship Company, Managing Director

AS an apprentice Paul Champion's dream was to have a job where he carried a briefcase. Now he has a job encouraging youngsters to also aim for the top, as Christopher Knox discovers.

THE North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC) was set up last year to help cut youth unemployment and combat the region's skills shortage.

It organises and oversees the placement, mentoring and training of apprentices, which it then supports for a small administration cost on top of the apprentices salary.

Launched by Gateshead Council and Gateshead College as an arms length organisation, NEAC received £25,000 in seed funding, as well as £540,000 from the Learning and Skills Council.

After a successful first year – NEAC now helps to create around five apprenticeship placements per week – the firm is to become a self-funding business which generates funding from deals with training bodies and employers.

The firm is working flat out to help service the increased demand for apprentices following the Government’s increased commitment to the cause.

While the Government has significantly reduced it spending in many areas, its determination to invest in workplace training is underlined by its pledge to increase funding for apprenticeships by 50% – a move which is expected to result in the recruitment of 75,000 new apprentices by 2014.

There is also expected to be a greater emphasis on adult apprenticeships following a £605m investment, which is aimed at bridging the skills gap in areas such as manufacturing.

As the managing director of NEAC Paul Champion’s job to ensure that his organisation remains at the forefront of the apprenticeship programme and that it is meeting the needs of potential apprentices, employers and training providers.

The task is particularly pertinent to Champion after he completed his own apprenticeship as a moulder and coremaker at Charles Taylor and Sons Iron Foundry in South Shields back in 1980.

He said: “My first job was as an apprentice at an iron foundry in South Shields at the age of 18.

“There were these old guys working there that had at been with the company for about 30 to 40 years, but they were all willing to take time out to show me the ropes.

“I mean, I got the odd joke played on me, such as being sent out for long weights and a double-edged wedge, but it was all in good spirit.

“I remember leaving school on the Friday and starting work on the Monday, it was certainly a steep learning curve, but a great introduction to working life.”

Growing up in one of South Shields’ less-than-affluent areas, Champion was introduced to the importance of work at an early age, a lesson that would help him get ahead during his apprenticeship.

“My mother and father split up when I was young, so I spent much of my time at my grandparent’s house,” he said “My grandfather was a labourer on the docks, while my nanna was a toilet cleaner.

“They both provided me with a really strong work ethic and the belief that I would be able to make my way in the world with the help of good old-fashioned hard work.

“You had to have that belief working at Charles Taylor’s, as the place was less than safe or hygienic.

“I remember that we used to wash our hands before lunchtime in something called the bosh, which was basically a tank full of dirty water, which probably had rats running through it.

“Then we’d sit amongst the squalor to have our lunch. There was a canteen but we would rather eat where we worked.

“Although I was much younger than everybody there, I nevertheless felt part of a team, which was really important to me.

“Growing up I had been part of rugby and football teams, so working with others was vital to me.

“I was never that academically gifted, so being able to work in a group and pass around different ideas was the only way I knew how to get things done.”

It was during this time that Champion began to appreciate the value of mentoring and support, particularly during times of hardship.

He said: “The early 1980s recession saw the factory’s workforce shrink considerably. However, I was still supported through my training by the managing director of the firm, who actually paid me out of his own pocket, despite being worried about the short-term future of the business.

“It was during this time that I started to have an appreciation for the bigger picture. If we didn’t have enough work coming in then people couldn’t get paid.

“It was a harsh lesson for someone so young, but one that certainly helped to give me have a strong sense of perspective.”

With a lack of work at the foundry, Champion found himself faced with a number of training opportunities, and underwent a secondment within the firm’s technical management team.

However, his choice of role was very much dependant on one thing.

He said: “To me, it was always important to have a briefcase. I remember my dad having one in his room when I was really young. I used to look at it and think to myself, ‘I’ll be using that when I’m older’.

“When I was given the opportunity to experience a management role I jumped at the chance as I knew it would let me carry around a briefcase without looking daft.

“I mainly used it to carry around my sandwiches and the odd bottle of milk, but I still felt as though I had made it.”

With more and more of the firm’s market being passed over to areas such as India and Brazil and ongoing uncertainty at the foundry, Champion left to start up his own printing company, which made business cards and party invitations.

At the same time, he launched his own personal training and coaching business, which would eventually fund his studies at South Tyneside College and allow him to study the GCSEs that passed him by as a result of his early introduction to working life.

On completion of his studies he managed to secure a job as sports development officer at Gateshead Council, which then allowed him to complete a spots studies degree at Northumbria University.

He said: “During my time at Gateshead Council I organised the summer sports schools, recruited staff, booked coaches and facilities.

“I then moved on to seeking funding through the Single Regeneration Budget and developing and managing the Sports Development Outreach Programme across Gateshead.

“It was great to be inspiring so many people through sport, as it was something I was passionate about.”

AS an apprentice Paul Champion's dream was to have a job where he carried a briefcase. Now he has a job encouraging youngsters to also aim for the top, as Christopher Knox discovers.

With a number of the council’s sports contracts coming to an end, Champion successfully applied for a regional manager position at crime reduction charity Nacro.

The charity works with some the most disadvantaged people, offenders and those at risk of offending, to help them find positive alternatives to crime and to achieve their full potential in society.

Champion said: “The work that Nacro did in the North East was all about building up respect among these young offenders.

“Although young people get a hard time in this country, the fact is that most don’t want to re-offend.

“Back then, many of the people that worked for Nacro would have been known as ‘hard men’, now they are probably known as community leaders.

“The youngsters looked up to these people and it was through their guidance that we tried to foster a sense of respect and pride in their community.

“Some of the youngsters went on to pursue careers as lifeguards or personal trainers, which was really satisfying for me in light of their troubled backgrounds.”

With a determination to continue improving the prospects of underprivileged people in the region, Champion then took on the role of director at North East firm B-Skill, which works with employers to provide training for their existing staff, particularly in lesser paid roles such as cleaning and manual handling.

Champion said: “At B-Skill, we built up from a small business to one that was providing training on a national business.

“Most of the time we were working with people who had left school 30 or 40 years ago and didn’t have a qualification to speak of but needed to find training because of changes to their role.

“It was really satisfying to be able to improve the skills of these people, who, like me, had by-passed the education system at an early age.”

Now at NEAC, Champion is determined to use the apprenticeship programme to provide job opportunities for youngsters in the region who, as a result of the economic downturn, face an uphill struggle in the search for work.

He said: “We thought we’d be quiet leading up to Christmas but were been really busy, and continue to be.

“Employers in the region seem to be backing apprenticeships as a way of solving their own recruitment problems as well as helping to support the next generation of workers.”

NEAC is also throwing its weight behind The Journal’s 100 Apprentices in 100 Days Campaign, which has already succeeded in helping to find positions for over 260 apprentices, with the new target now raised to 500 in 100 Days.

Champion said: “The campaign has already proven hugely successful and we would urge other employers to consider whether they could benefit from an apprentice.

“We have a long way to go to where we need to be in terms of the number of apprentices we have in this country, but we are determined to help the programme reach its full potential.”

Questionnaire

What car do you drive?
Smart 42

What’s your favourite restaurant?
Raval on Gateshead Quays

Who or what makes you laugh?
Michael Mcintyre

What’s your favourite book?
Learning to Labour – Paul Willis

What’s your favourite film?
Dude, Where’s My Car

What was the last album you bought?
The Streets – Computers and Blues

What’s your ideal job, other than your current one?

An explorer

If you had a talking parrot, what’s the first thing you’d teach it to say?
Get up now or you’re going to be late

What’s your greatest fear?
Failure to provide for the next generation

What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received?
Find good business partners

Worst business advice?
Don’t worry about it

What’s your poison?
Chocolate

What newspaper do you read, other than The Journal?
The Guardian

How much was your first pay packet and what was it for?
£33.15 as an apprentice at an iron foundry

How do you keep fit?
Visiting the gym

What’s your most irritating habit?
Getting frustrated

Which historical or fictional character do you most admire?
Ernest Shackleton

And which four famous people would you most like to dine with?
Johnny Wilkinson, Stephen Fry, Steve Jobs, Ranulph Fiennes

How would you like to be remembered?
For ensuring that young people have a chance, and sometimes a second chance to find their place. And promoting the concept that all of society has a shared responsibility for this.

CV

North East Apprenticeship Company, February 2010 - present
Managing Director

B-Skill, 2001 - February 2010
Director

Nacro 1999-2001
Regional manager

Gateshead Council, 1994-1999
Sports development officer

Printing Co., 1989-1994
Owner

Charles Taylor and Sons, 1980-1989
Apprentice moulder/coremaker

Systems Manager

Education
Northumbria University 1998-2000
Loughborough University 1996-1998
South Tyneside College 1992-1996
Mortimer Comprehensive (South Shields) 1970-1980

In the Recruitment Sector? Fancy a chat?

Hi,  I'm looking for some 'mainstream' recruitment agencies to contact me to have a chat about some ideas that I have with regard to apprenticeships within employers.  I want to chat to agencies around the UK but would be very interested in agencies in and around the North East.

I feel there is some good work that could be done by NEAC in partnership with other agencies, using creative ways of working, and I would like the opportunity to have a chat about how we can invest in the future skills of the workforce 'together' by investing in young people.

If you want to find out more, e-mail me at paul.champion@neapprenticeship.co.uk, or call me on 0191 4902453.

Maybe we can create something great through a very small investment of our time?

At TUC Apprenticeship Conference in London. Looks interesting

The New Apprenticeship Agenda: The Union Role
9th February 2011, Congress Centre, London

9:30​Registration Opens

10:00​Coffee Available

10:30​Conference Start - Introduction from Frances O’Grady, Deputy General Secretary, TUC

10:40​Simon Waugh, Executive Chair, National Apprenticeship Service

11:00​John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning

11:20​Questions

11:30​Presentation of Unionlearn Quality Award to Stephenson College, Coalville, Leicestershire

11:45​Voice of Apprentices – apprentices will talk about their experience in interview with Robin Ross:
• Anna Barnes - Apprentice at GMB Southern
• Lynne Dickinson – Apprentice at Gento and member of UNITE
• John Patterson – Apprentice at Redcar & Cleveland Council and member of UNISON
• Scott Walker - Apprentice at City of Lincoln Council and member of UCATT

​
12:15​Launch of Manufacturing Skills Alliance Guide on Apprenticeships – Terry Watts, CEO of ProSkills

12:25​Delivering the future Engineering workforce: The role of Apprenticeships and addressing inequality – Stephen Lilley, Apprenticeship Executive, SEMTA

12:35​World Skills London 2011: The role of apprenticeships - Michael Osbaldeston, Partnership Director for WorldSkills London 2011

12:45​Closing comments and the way forward

13:00​Close and Lunch

NEAC first in the region with the launch of new apprentice CV service

The North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC) is the first in the region to provide a ‘revolutionary’ new online CV service which will benefit both young apprentices and employers.

Apprentices at the NEAC will be among the first people in the UK to use Innovate CV, http://neapprenticeship.innovatecv.com/ an interactive online method of marketing your talents to employers.

Billed as ‘the future CV’ the Innovate CV website www.innovatecv.com allows job seekers to create multi-media resumes as part of their search for an apprenticeship.

It also enables prospective employers to browse through a showcase of skills and qualifications online and find the right person for their vacancy, saving them time and delivering costs savings in the process.

NEAC is making the most of advances in technology to make sure its apprentices have the best possible opportunities to find employment while looking at ways to improve our service to employers said managing director Paul Champion.

He added: “This is another exciting first for the North East Apprenticeship Company. In signing our apprentices up to use Innovate CV, we are leading the way in introducing the very latest advances in recruitment techniques.

“This online CV helps employers to find and recruit the candidates best suited to the roles within their organisation. And each employee using it can also update and review their CV over time too.”

NEAC has signed up more than 150 companies since its launch last year and has a regional brief to expand apprenticeship positions, tackling the skills gap to create more than 1000 new apprentice jobs in the next two years, particularly among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Innovate CV requires the candidate to input their information from which it creates an online CV for use on this and other websites. It links in with candidates existing social networks to help secure employment as the platform provides a functionality to share a CV on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Among its many features is an onsite search engine which candidates can use to help find useful contacts to assist with their job search.

The Career and Training section of the website highlights any skills and knowledge the candidate may lack when pursuing their dream job, and provides opportunities for them to enrol on online courses to fill the gaps.

The launch of Innovate CV from NEAC will occur during Apprenticeship Week 2011, which takes place from Monday 7 to Friday 11 February 2011. The aim is to highlight the talents and skills of apprentices and celebrate the value of apprenticeships.

More at www.neapprenticeship.co.uk or email info@neapprenticeship.co.uk Tel: 0191 490 2453.

Coming SOON! Green Apprenticeship Programme

Watch out for the launch of the North East Apprenticeship Company, and the Environmental Academy's new Green Apprenticeship Programme.  This is a new and exciting initiative that you will hopefully be hearing a lot about in the future. 'Putting Energy in Your Business"  green apprenticeships are on their way and they are hear to stay.

Coming SOON! Green Apprenticeship Programme

Watch out for the launch of the North East Apprenticeship Company, and the Environmental Academy's new Green Apprenticeship Programme.  This is a new and exciting initiative that you will hopefully be hearing a lot about in the future. 'Putting Energy in Your Business"  green apprenticeships are on their way and they are hear to stay.