Member Article

MP's Focus On Quality Apprenticships Welcomed by TTE

The TTE Technical Training Group’s Managing Director, Steve Grant, has backed the findings of a group of MPs who have highlighted the importance of delivering quality apprenticeships rather than simply focusing on increasing trainee numbers.

TTE, which delivers apprenticeships for the engineering, manufacturing, process and energy sectors, believes that funding for apprenticeships should be targeted at industries that can have a significant impact on the economy and are facing impending skills gaps.

After an 11-month investigation, the House of Commons Business Select Committee has concluded that the push in apprenticeships should not be measured by numbers alone.

Its Chairman, Adrian Bailey MP, praised apprenticeships as a ‘viable and attractive route to a career and should be seen as equal to the university route’, but warned that without confirmation from government over what it wants for apprentices and from employers the system will be ‘open to abuse’ and water-down the quality of apprenticeships.

TTE is one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship training organisations and currently has in the region of 600 trainees at various stages of Technical Vocational Pathways and Advanced Level Apprenticeship programmes. It works closely with employers in industry to deliver skilled, qualified and motivated individuals who can help employers meet their current and future skills challenges.

Steve Grant, Managing Director of TTE, said: “While it is pleasing that 450,000 apprenticeships were created last year, the Government has to heed the warning from the Business Select Committee over the focus and quality of the training programmes. There are sectors such as Oil & Gas and the process industry, which are facing serious skills shortages and apprenticeships are seen as one of the solutions to meet these gaps.

“The Chancellor George Osborne has talked about the UK manufacturing its way out of its economic problems, but that will never happen if we don’t have a skilled and competent workforce. Apprenticeship funding has to be front-loaded towards sectors that require the skills and have the ability to make a considerable impact on UK plc.”

“Apprenticeships are the ideal training route to prepare people to enter industry and the Business Select Committee is completely right to highlight the importance of delivering quality over quantity. With the refined support of government and commitment from employers who can support the development and subsequently employ apprentices, important strides can be made to address the UK’s economic and skills challenges.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .