The Angus Shared Apprenticeship Programme (ASAP) company, as one of the first of its kind in Scotland, has been established by CITB, further education, public sector and private sector partners to help support the construction industry in the development of its current and future workforce. ASAP targets companies that are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are not in a position to offer apprenticeships to young people due to the economic uncertainty across their sector and the short term nature of their order books – removing the long term risk yet enabling them to host apprentices from three months plus.
Key Activities
Service principles
ASAP is:
- Young person centred
- Future focused
- About business enablement and growth
Our Aims:
- Establish a private company to facilitate the development of the programme
- Develop clear career progression routes from school to employment
- Recruit 12 apprentices in year 1 of operating (2015/16)
- Subsequently recruit 12 apprentices each year until the company employs a maximum of 48 apprentices (year 4)
- Work with council services to embed apprenticeship clauses into all major capital spend contracts
- Work with industry and partners to offer a new way of delivering apprenticeships across Scotland
- Share best practice with others
- Expand the programme into neighbouring local authority areas
Impact and Benefits
Public Sector benefits
- Investment in youth employment
- Addresses skills shortages
- Helps council achieve additional support to youth employment
- Closely linked to community benefit clauses and allows MA recruitment to be achieved even when the contract works is for less than the duration of the MA programme
Business benefits
- Injection of talented young people to the business (mainly 16-19 years old)
- Provides a wider range of skills
- Reduces risk of selecting the 'wrong ' person
- Allows employers to grow their own staff
- Removes financial risk to the business
- Increases business potential to secure new contracts
- Future proofing the industry
Apprentice benefits
- Offers a clear progression route from school into training and employment
- Offers experience across a wide range of training
- Gives job security over the term of their apprenticeship
- Develops vocational and life skills
Learning
Our success to date:
- The ASAP recruited 12 apprentices in October 2015;
- All apprentices are out in industry and attend college for vocational training assessments;
- There are 6 apprentices in placements through public sector contracts;
- The company has a bank of 16 companies signed up to take apprentices;
- Other local authorities are looking at the potential to implement the programme.
What we have learnt:
- Never under estimate the resource required to set up a company;
- The financial plan requires constant re-profiling of projections;
- The need to utilise the strengths that all partners bring to the table;
- A long lead in time is required before trading can commence;
- Payroll and employment law is complex
Further Information
See Angus Council ASAP document
To find out more about this case study, please contact:
Fiona Cameron
Business Manager
Angus Council
cameronf@angus.gov.uk
01241 438155