The Apprenticeship Pathfinder Project

Project aims

The aim of this strand is to improve wellbeing for young people by developing their soft skills, and increasing their future prospects of employment. This will be achieved through a practical initiative to establish the new Apprenticeship Guarantee in three local authorities.

The Pathfinder project will also seek to provide empirical evidence of the processes and relationships that will be required in order to offer the nationwide guarantee of an apprenticeship place for every suitably qualified young person by 2013, as announced in World Class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All (DIUS, 2008).

The evidence will be gained by offering, as far as possible, a de facto entitlement to every suitably qualified young person in each pathfinder local authority by 2011, and by supporting and mentoring cohorts of young people with complex needs to enable them to access the Guarantee.

This will involve working with the new National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), local authorities and others including schools and employers to explore the key issues in developing the Apprenticeship Guarantee.

This phase of the Pathfinder is currently funded by the national Learning and Skills Council (LSC).


Guaranteed Apprenticeships and Wellbeing

This project concerns the link between the wellbeing of young people, their future work expectations and ability to access different jobs, with the focus on vocational education and training as a way of increasing wellbeing by offering:

•    a clear route into employment

•    better understanding of the world of work

•    a link between the soft skills needed by employers and the skills needed by young people to thrive emotionally and psychologically

•    a better understanding for young people of their own personal capacities and potential.

Young people make key transitions in their lives between the ages of 16 and 19 as they progress to independence, and these transitions are critical in determining life chances and wellbeing across young adulthood and in later life.

Evidence suggests that life is becoming increasingly difficult for this age group. UK government statistics estimate one in eight teenagers are depressed, and around nine per cent of 16-18-year-olds are NEET – Not in Education, Employment or Training – at any one time. This problem is even more prevalent among young offenders, with the Youth Justice Board reporting that only between 35 per cent and 45 per cent of young people in the youth justice system are receiving full-time education, training or employment. Adding to this is research conducted by The Princes Trust which finds that young people with disabilities are often completely excluded from the labour market.

The bewildering choice of options – ranging from further or higher education to different forms of employment and training – can even contribute to the vulnerability of young people at the key transition points between school and college, or school and FE, or upon leaving school. It is clear from these figures that increasing young people’s wellbeing through access to education, training and employment is an area of immense potential for local authorities in particular to make a positive and tangible difference to the young people in their area.

Watch the short video below to hear about the experiences of young apprentices in Manchester and South Tyneside:

Drawing on our experience and sharing our learning

There are significant overlaps around skills and education with other current Young Foundation projects, and we will be drawing the knowledge we have gained in setting up and running Studio Schools, Fastlaners, Faking It and UpRising amongst others.

We will also seek to share the lessons and key findings from this work across our three partner local authorities, as well as nationally through networks such as the IDeA communities of practice. In this way, other localities and local authorities can learn from this important work.

Find out more / get involved

To find out more about this project please get in touch with Bethia McNeil, Project Manager, Apprenticeships,  bethia.mcneil@youngfoundation.org or call 020 8980 6263.  

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Recent news, articles and publications on apprenticeships

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill 2008-09

The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill went for its first reading on the 4th February 2009. The second reading is due on the 23rd February.