Draft strategic guidance to the Institute for Apprenticeships: our response

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The Chartered ABS has responded to the Government's consultation on the Draft strategic guidance for the Institute for Apprenticeships. Though we are supportive of the strategic direction of the Institute for Apprenticeships, there are a number of concerns that we feel should be addressed in order for the strategy to produce the desired long term results.

In the view of the Chartered ABS, the following areas need to be addressed with some possible solutions:

  1. The continued focus on mechanisms of FE colleges that are not appropriate for degree apprenticeships. There should be a commitment to retaining expertise and experience in HE within the Institute for Apprenticeships senior management team as it currently lacks this.
  2. The definition of 'degree' must be clarified in its use in 'degree apprenticeships' by someone with a detailed understanding of the HE world.
  3. Universities and others with taught degree awarding powers should be involved in the design of the standards and the assessment for degree apprenticeships from the outset.
  4. Improved guidance is required to reduce and prevent confusion amongst teachers, students, parents and employers about what elements of an apprenticeship form part of the degree and what parts do not.
  5. External Quality Assurance processes need to be made use of. HEIs should be allowed to externally assess programmes from other institutions.
  6. Given the experience and expertise of business schools, we encourage their involvement in working with employers to create programmes that fulfil their needs.
  7. The IfA should have particular focus on End Point Assessors (EPAs) and address the issue of there being only one EPA in some cases and none in many others.
  8. The IfA needs to have HEI experience at both executive and board level in order to ensure funding is set up appropriately for long term programmes like degrees as this is currently not the case.

Download the report to read the full response.