The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published the report of an independent review of apprenticeships and their accessibility to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by business owner and social entrepreneur Jason Holt.
The Education and Business Secretaries commissioned Mr Holt’s report in February 2012 to advise them on what more could be done to help SMEs take on apprentices. Drawing on his discussions with small firms, in this report Mr Holt identifies why the take-up of apprenticeships amongst SMEs is comparatively low. It goes on to review potential barriers and difficulties, and makes recommendations as to how SMEs can more easily offer apprenticeships and how to make apprenticeships more rewarding for SMEs.
Key measures include recommendations to:
- Work with the people that SMEs look to for advice, including lawyers and accountants, to promote apprenticeships to their SME customers.
- Enable SMEs to get their apprentices the training they need, by providing better information on availability and investigating how to give them a greater say in developing the skills they need.
- Improve the performance of providers of training to SMEs by agreeing standards and the consequences of not meeting them.
- Improve the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers by making it simpler and more accessible to more employers.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Only a small minority of SMEs currently employ apprentices. Many of the rest are missing out on an effective way of growing and up-skilling their businesses. “We hope that the measures announced today will make a difference by raising awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships amongst SMEs and making it as easy as possible for these businesses to take on an apprentice.”
The Government has already taken a number of steps to help small companies recruit apprentices, including reducing the burden on training providers and employers by removing all health and safety requirements that go beyond what health and safety legislation demands, and establishing a dedicated Small Business Team within the National Apprenticeship Service providing a bespoke service to employers with fewer than 250 employees.
The full report of the Holt Review is available to download at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website
