Enterprise and Business Committee
APP08

Inquiry into Apprenticeships

Evidence from Lantra

· Apprenticeships suit our sector and we have got excellent examples of where the system is working well and where the numbers are increasing year on year.  E.g. Coleg Powys

· One of the main issues is that the numbers are never going to be huge so that it is not necessarily the most attractive proposition for a college

· There area very few private providers offering Apprenticeships in our sector which is unusual compared to the situation in England where providers like Keits deliver large numbers in our sector covering large areas of the country.

· Another issue for the colleges is that the traditional model may not always work.  There are total work based models in England e.g. Myerscough college which may be more suitable to this sector but this would require a radical change for providers

· Collectively the numbers across the whole of  Wales would be sufficient for one or two providers but this would require a radical change, collaborative working and in order for this work to be effective it would require pump prime funding initially to get it off the ground

· There is a lack of awareness or understanding from employers regarding Apprenticeships.  The generic Apprenticeship material does not usually appeal to our sector. The targeted sector specific images were more appealing, however there have not been any to represent our sector.

· The PtA programme will assist greatly in improving Apprenticeship awareness and getting the message out to employers through the colleges and through targeted employer events which Lantra will run.

Sarah Gould National Research Co-ordinator - Food & Drinks Cydlynydd Ymchwil Cenedlaethol Email (E bost): Sarah.Gould@lantra.co.uk Tel (Ffôn):  01639 646057 Mob (Ffôn Symudol): 07867 908194 www.lantra.co.uk