BESA (the Building Engineering Services Association) says that criticisms of the Government’s plans to boost apprenticeships are failing to see the big picture.

According to a report published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) it is claimed the target of delivering three million new apprenticeships by 2020 could be “poor value for money”.

A new Apprenticeship Levy is being imposed on the very largest employers from next year in order to pay for the expansion, but the IFS also suggested not all of the £2.8bn expected to be raised by the end of the decade would be spent on apprenticeships.

In addition, it questioned the quality of the training that would be delivered under the plans and that the apprenticeship ‘brand’ was being damaged. It also said that some existing training activity would simply be re-badged as apprenticeships in order to offset costs.

However, a number of organisations have condemned this as “nit-picking” and the Department for Education said standards under the new schemes would be “rigorously checked”.

BESA added that apprenticeships were an essential part of the strategy to tackle the country’s crippling skills gap in vital economic sectors like engineering and construction – and, therefore, the return on investment would be realised over time.

Chief executive of BESA, Paul McLaughlin, said: “A vocational apprenticeship is just the first step on the journey to a fulfilling career. We are working closely with employers in our sector to develop and deliver apprenticeships at all levels – from initial technician grades right up to degree equivalence.”

He added: “We see the new apprenticeship programme as a way of creating career paths that will deliver value for money at each stage and for years to come.”

Many technical professions have suffered from decades of under-investment in skills and training, according to BESA, and the new ‘Trailblazer’ apprenticeships being developed by industry sectors are designed to deliver training appropriate to the needs of employers struggling to find the skilled workers needed to keep up with demand.

Mr McLaughlin continued: “If you are trying to calculate potential value for money, you cannot compare this new approach with what has gone before. By focusing efforts on professions that are critical to the country’s future development in things like infrastructure and house building, you begin to build a pipeline of talent that will deliver a financial return for decades into the future.”

“Don’t forget it is employers who are footing most of the bill, but who are, quite rightly, also reaping the benefit of gaining a suitably skilled workforce. However, it is the country as a whole that sees the real long-term value through improved buildings, infrastructure, services etc. and of having a more highly skilled employment base,” he added.

The association also pointed out that the quality of the training was being overseen by a new Institute for Apprenticeships in partnership with professional trade bodies, which were charged with engaging with employers of all sizes to ensure they got the type of apprentices they needed.

Innovations include encouraging the largest employers to ‘farm out’ apprentices to smaller supply chain partners to give them wider experience and also create room for new apprentices to come in.

The Government has said that just 2% of employers will pay into the Apprenticeship Levy – those with payrolls above £3m– and that the remaining 98% will receive 90% of the cost of training an apprentice.

“All employers should take advantage of the funding made available by the levy,” said Mr McLaughlin. “It is very much a case of use it or lose it – and it is very important to make sure the money allocated for building engineering remains within our sector. We have a serious skills shortage and this new approach is a welcome and innovative attempt to tackle it.

He added: “Apprenticeships work by boosting economic productivity, growing our skills base and giving millions a leg up on the ladder of opportunity. Over 90% of apprentices currently go into work or further training – and they are not building up student debt along the way.”