Navigating Apprenticeship Policy Changes: The Role of Technology in a Shifting Landscape

We have a new government with new apprenticeship policies, and the sector is braced for a tumultuous year. Without all details confirmed yet, significant policy announcements have already got people talking. About everything except one important thing… 🤔

Policy and Skills England

Skills Minister, Jacqui Smith wants Skills England to “unify our fragmented skills system” but already, its absorption into the Department for Education (DfE), rather than the proposed cross-government independence it was intended to have, has raised eyebrows. It is in active recruitment for its CEO and expected to do big things, including cutting migration and approving the training eligible for non-apprenticeship levy spend.

The proposed restrictions on funding L7 apprenticeships via the levy to rebalance funding back to young people is laudable. However, many in the sector are worried about the policy’s impact, including that it will disproportionately impact public services.

Achievement and EPA

These are, of course, legitimate concerns, and they add to the existing hot topics occupying apprenticeships, like achievement rates. The latest data shows us that only 54.3% of apprentices on Standards successfully complete their training. And it’s higher-level apprentices who have the highest achievement rates. If we think achievement rates are a genuine measure of apprenticeship success, reducing the number of them at L7 will do nothing to help.

When it comes to end-point assessment, we see very few apprentices fail, at least ultimately. With retakes and resits available, pass rates on apprenticeships are high – over 97%. Assuming the rigour and repeatability of EPAs is consistent across the sector, this means that providers are preparing those apprentices who remain on programme until the end incredibly well.

The quality of teaching, and support from employers are excellent, in other words. This is certainly our experience at Accelerate People. The apprentices we see for EPA are invariably excellent, at all levels.

That One Important Thing… 🤖

Which brings us to the very important thing no one is talking about, at least in policy terms: technology is changing the game.

In its 2023 paper, The Impact of AI on UK Jobs and Training, the DfE outlined where it thinks AI will most keenly impact:

• 10-30% of jobs in the UK could be automatable due to AI advancements.

• Employees with advanced qualifications (Level 6, equivalent to a degree) are typically in roles with higher AI exposure compared to those with lower qualifications (Level 3).

• Workers in London and the South East have the highest exposure to AI due to a concentration of professional jobs. Conversely, the North East has jobs with the least exposure.

It seems appropriate to ask an AI tool what conclusions it thinks we should draw from the paper:

These shifts in job roles and required skills are not just anticipated; they are already happening. For instance, there’s been a data explosion in the last few years, changing the role of data analysts, one the most popular digital apprenticeships. The technology available now to supplement or even replace some of the aspects of a data analyst’s role is almost exponentially increasing. That’s not to say that human data analysts won’t be needed. But it is to say that what they do in their jobs has changed and will continue to change, and so will their training.

End-Point Assessment in the Light of AI

So, jobs and training evolve, what does this mean for end-point assessment? Well, for one thing, it’s more important than ever because ratifying skills that change rapidly makes employers feel more secure in their apprentices’ abilities.

We know from the providers we work with that, increasingly, technology is being utilised for induction, onboarding and assessment preparation – and we can see its positive impact at EPA. Our proprietary platforms, ‘Comply’ and ‘Assess’ have the capacity to adapt and change to the nature of the training being delivered and the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the apprentices we assess. 🏆

The Policy Challenge

The problem is that these things are all happening in advance of policy, not because of it. End point assessment plans take a long time to develop: employer focus groups, iterative draft revisions, sign-off, approval, launch, and then at least 12-months before the first apprentices are assessed. It is highly likely that technology will have led to many of those job roles changing by the time of even the first assessments, let alone the last.

Despite all the policy announcements, there’s been very little discussion on how quickly changes need to happen. The very technology necessitating change is probably also our most effective tool in developing plans for its impact. Training providers and EPAOs stand ready to absorb policy changes and departmental movement; we’re used to it. We also stand ready to support and advise government and regulators on the adoption of technological solutions to support those changes.

HRD: Digital Apprenticeships is a Contentive publication in the Education division