Summary:

Experience of Trainees

Trainees’ views of the traineeship programme and their experiences with their providers were broadly positive. Most had embarked on a traineeship to gain the hard and soft skills necessary to progress onto an apprenticeship or into employment: typically they lacked the English and maths skills and / or work experience necessary to reach their career or study aspirations and saw a traineeship as a way to fill their skills / employment gaps. The majority had no formal qualifications, some had gained level 1-2 qualifications following school and in a further education setting. A minority had achieved A*-C grades in some subjects at GCSE.

For the most part, trainees felt the programme had met their needs. The programme provided the ‘first steps’ needed to raise both their skills and confidence to get closer to the labour market through flexible and intensive support and training both before and during their work placements. Trainees who had previously negative experiences of school due to low engagement or learning disabilities particularly valued the flexibility of the programme to provide smaller classes and individually tailored learning. Trainees were particularly positive about the engaging and interactive delivery of work preparation which was focused around their sector of choice and provided individualised learning plans. Their work placement enabled them to get the work experience required to gain employment, while English and maths training enabled them to meet the entry requirements for an apprenticeship (or work). Almost all trainees reported future plans of some sort, with many of those interviewed already embarking on apprenticeships or currently applying.

Experience of Providers

Year two providers of traineeships viewed the programme as a high quality pathway to support young people who lack the employability or qualifications for successful applications for either employment or apprenticeships. They targeted young people on this basis, generally approaching those which had applied to their organisation for other pathways and been unsuccessful, or suggesting it as a potential pathway to those already engaged by their organisation and whom they feel met / would meet the traineeships criteria. As in year one, some challenges have been encountered working with referral agencies. Variation in experiences of the case study providers shows that there is still work to be done in supporting a steady flow of referrals from Job Centre Plus, the National Citizen Service and National Careers Service. Interviews were conducted in the following regions:

•   North West
•   Yorkshire and the Humberside
•   East Midland
•   South East

Programme delivery was managed internally with existing staff used to deliver English and maths and work preparation content. Class groups were typically small, sessions highly interactive and content focused on the ‘real world’ application of skills. The work placement component was viewed as key to the programme as a whole and believed to differentiate it from other pathways. To facilitate the success of the placement, work placements were generally matched to young people’s aspirations and areas of interests. Many employers engaged in the research viewed traineeships as an opportunity to really get to know potential candidates before recruiting them to an apprenticeship or open role. Several providers actively sought employers which had progression opportunities, e.g. a potential up-coming vacancy, or apprenticeship placement. Overall, the positioning of traineeships to potential trainees is a key facilitator to their engagement with the programme and in managing their expectations. Where the traineeship was closely aligned to an apprenticeship, young people were generally more easily engaged and their expectations better managed.

Experience of non-providers

Non-providers – those who are eligible, but have decided not to progress with the programme – cited a number of perceived barriers to implementing the programme. These include: lack of guidance / information on funding; concerns on the feasibility of engaging adequate / suitable employers; belief that existing provision is suitable; limited expertise to deliver both learning and workplace support without engaging a partner organisation; concerns over negative media coverage and public perceptions; and, uncertainty over the employer engagement element of the programme. While some viewed these barriers as insurmountable, others were open to exploring the traineeship proposition further in the future with a clear appetite for further information on the pathway.