We have continued to expand and establish the Institute in this last year, most notably by the commencement of our responsibilities for the technical qualification within T Levels on 1 February 2019. As our renaming as the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education indicates, these now sit alongside our continuing accountabilities within the apprenticeships programme, and we look forward to the further convening the employer view in support of the Department’s Technical Education Reform programme as it develops over the coming year.
A key focus during 2018/2019 was preparing to take on our T Level responsibilities and I am delighted that we were able to reassure the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) and Department for Education that we were able to do so on time. This involved a very significant expansion of the Institute and the development of our capability and processes, which was achieved alongside a substantive uplift in the number of apprenticeship standards available for employers to use. There were 257 published apprenticeship standards in April 2018, after several years of work to achieve that number. As I write, we have over 420 standards available for use and it is very encouraging for the programme overall to now see the uptake of standards eclipsing that of frameworks, the spread of starts on standards across all areas of the economy and all levels of occupation, and the positive reflection of both employers and apprentices on their quality.
Discharging our responsibilities for T Levels will be a priority in the coming year. We look forward to working with Awarding Organisations to develop quality, relevant content for the wave 1 and 2 pathways and we will be working hard to ensure that proper foundations are set for success in wave 3. We will also be concluding the pilot statutory review of apprenticeship standards on the digital route and starting others. Reviews will become a more significant activity for us as we realise the ambition for the total number of apprenticeship standards available. We also expect to extend the Occupational Maps that are the common foundation for both T Levels and apprenticeships to cover other technical education qualifications.
We will also be examining how we can improve the efficiency and transparency in the way in which we develop funding band recommendations for the Department for Education. I am aware that stakeholders have noted that building confidence and understanding of our funding advice is something we should focus on and we are resolved to address this.
I remain convinced of the ambition and necessity of the reforms to both apprenticeships and technical education. With our employer-led focus, I recognise the importance of the Institute’s contribution and the necessity of this work. We have achieved much over the past year, but more needs to be done to transform the skills landscape, deliver the needs of employers and improve access to quality apprenticeships and technical education. We look forward to tackling the challenges this will bring for the Institute over the coming year and to continuing to make a difference.
Efficient and effective systems which continuously improve the delivery of the Institute’s accountabilities for technical education, ensuring credible and enduring technical qualifications within T Levels and timely, quality occupational standards, assessment plans and funding band recommendations that remain relevant and meet the needs of employers and apprentices.
Establishing and harnessing effective relationships with stakeholders to enrich the work of the Institute, extend understanding and amplify its impact by engaging widely, listening and acting with transparency. Releasing the potential of our staff by building an Institute that is a brilliant place to work.
Increasing the Institute’s impact, influence and reputation for the benefit of the technical education reform programme by delivering lasting and sustained positive effect through the evidence we provide, the clarity with which we present it, the support we give and the thoughts and ideas we generate.
On 15 February, the Institute approved the Fashion Studio Assistant apprenticeship making it the 400th new apprenticeship standard approved for use and published on its website.
New apprenticeship standards are developed with support from the Institute by groups of employers known as trailblazers. Some of the UK’s best known and loved brands such as Jasper Conran and young designer Roksanda were involved in developing this latest apprenticeship.
The Institute has achieved impressive results since implementing a new, streamlined approach geared at improving approval rates for new apprenticeships last year. The 300th assessment plan and occupational standard – which sets out key knowledge skills and behaviours expected for new apprenticeships – was approved for use last July. The Institute set itself a target to publish 400 apprenticeship standards on its website and ready for use by the end of March 2019 and achieved that challenge over a month early with the publication of the fashion studio assistant apprenticeship.
In the early days of apprenticeship standards, take up was low. From summer 2017, numbers began to rise steadily, however this increase gained substantial momentum during 2018 and, cumulatively, we have now achieved over 300,000 starts on apprenticeship standards.
The Institute has helped develop, approve and publish apprenticeship standards to the extent there are now over 400 standards available for employers and learners to use. These standards are supporting employers and learners at all levels and those new standards published since April 2018 have increased coverage of occupational needs from level 2 all the way through to level 7.
As a result of the Institute’s work to support trailblazers to design the apprenticeship standards employers need, we now see more starts on standards than on frameworks. All apprenticeships can be positive, however, standards provide better outcomes for employers and ensure learners possess the skills and behaviours employers need by the end of their apprenticeship.
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
TQ01 |
Support the intention to provide greater employer input into level 4 and 5 technical qualifications |
|
TQ02 |
Deliver the Institute’s remit in respect of waves 1 and 2 technical content to time and quality |
|
TQ03 |
Set the conditions for success in wave 3 |
| Occupational maps | |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | All Occupational Maps are validated and endorsed by their respective Route Panel by 30 November 2019 |
| T Levels | |
| Procurement | Wave 2 contracts awarded by 30 September 2019 |
| Qualification | Wave 1 TQs approved and delivered to providers by February 2020 |
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
AS01 |
Embed a culture of continuous improvement in the Institute’s approach to managing its processes |
|
AS02 |
Increase confidence in the funding band recommendations made by the Institute |
| Apprenticeship standards | |
|---|---|
| Total standards | No less than 475 apprenticeship standards to be published for delivery by April 2020 |
| Faster & Better Apprenticeship Standards Reform | 85% of apprenticeship standards developed gain approval (with or without conditions) the first time they are submitted |
| Funding | 95% of funding band recommendations are accepted by Ministers first time |
| Statutory reviews | 3 statutory reviews are concluded and in implementation by 30 March 2020 |
| Change Programme | |
| Delivery | 80% of change programme projects on track for delivery as specified in the programme mandate |
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
Q01 |
Improve the quality of apprenticeships by mobilising the collective resources of the Quality Alliance |
|
Q02 |
Deliver robust and consistent quality assurance of end point assessment |
|
Q03 |
Continuously improve the quality of end point assessment plans |
| Quality | |
|---|---|
| EQA consistency and relevance | The revised EQA Framework has been implemented by all EQA Providers by 1 January 2020 |
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
RE01 |
Strengthen the Institute’s relationships with all stakeholders and their understanding of our role |
|
RE02 |
Grow the Institute’s reputation for honesty and clarity |
| Relationships | |
|---|---|
| Satisfaction | 75% of respondents to employer surveys rate their relationship with the Institute as positive or very positive |
| Funding band transparency | At least 50% of respondents report an improvement in understanding of funding band calculations in the stakeholder survey |
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
PE01 |
Grow the capability of the Institute to fully deliver its remit for apprenticeships and T Levels |
|
PE02 |
Improve the Institute’s resilience and reputation as a good place to work by strengthening our internal processes and procedures |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Recruitment | Institute more than 90% recruited against staffing plan and financial profile |
| Retention | Turnover of permanent staff is less than 10% |
| Location | London premises solution agreed with Cabinet Office by March 2020 |
| People engagement | 70% or higher in annual people survey |
|
Ref |
Objectives |
|---|---|
|
IN01 |
Strengthen the profile, reputation and authority of the Institute as a regulator of apprenticeships and technical education quality |
|
IN02 |
Progress the influence and impact of the Institute |
| Influence | |
|---|---|
| Standing | 50% of our stakeholders view us in a positive light, and would speak highly of us as a credible organisation |
| Impact | More than 70% of Board Members, Panel Members (Route, T-Level, Apprentice) and Trailblazers consider the Institute’s customer service to be good or better |
The Chief Operating Officer is directly accountable to the Chief Executive for the outputs of the Institute’s operational teams. The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for developing the capacity of the Institute’s operational teams, ensuring their efficient operation and managing their performance. When required, the Chief Operating Officer deputises for the Chief Executive.
The Apprenticeship & Technical Education Approvals team manages the 15 employer-led Route Panels that review and approve new apprenticeship proposals, occupational standards, assessment plans and provide recommendations on funding bands. We ensure that decisions made by the Route Panels meet the Institute’s criteria and quality statement to result in the highest quality outcomes for the benefit of employers, learners and the economy.
The Standards Development team is the Institute’s principal point of contact with trailblazers and employers, supporting them to supply and revise proposals, occupational standards, assessment plans and funding information that comply with Institute policy and meet the requirements of employers, apprentices and the outputs of the Institute’s statutory reviews process. The team oversees and drives the performance of the end-to-end development and approvals process. It also leads the Institute’s processes for the identification and resolution of policy issues concerning apprenticeship standards, including qualifications.
The Technical Education Implementation and Delivery team is responsible for the development and implementation of T Level qualifications. Building on relevant apprenticeship standards, we work with employers to design occupationally current content for high quality qualifications developed by contracted Awarding Organisations.
The team supports T Level Panels to design the content for the T Level pathways and, once the contracts to Awarding Organisations are confirmed, coordinates work with those organisations and other bodies to develop high-quality qualifications.
The Technical Education Commercial team is responsible for delivering a sustainable strategy for the procurement of future T Level pathways and for managing the contracts and single licence arrangements with Awarding Organisations for all pathways. The team works closely with the technical education implementation team in developing clear service requirements and to build an intelligent customer capability that ensures effective contract performance.
The Assessment & Quality Assurance team is responsible for developing and maintaining quality in assessment across apprenticeships and T-Level technical qualifications.
In particular, we will develop and deliver the operational processes to receive and review assessment plans submitted to the Institute, oversee the EQA process and deliver EQA where employers have chosen the Institute’s EQA option and support the development and delivery of technical qualifications.
* Funding review is a temporary team created to conduct a specific, time-bound project.
The Funding Team recommends an appropriate funding band for each apprenticeship to DfE, to support employers to purchase the high quality apprenticeship training they need.
We also review existing funding bands to make sure they support high quality delivery, and maximise value for money for employers and the taxpayer. We are working to develop the best approach for pricing apprenticeships in the long term.
The Digital Services and Data Science Unit is an interdisciplinary team which makes use of cutting edge analytical methods and large data sets to support decision making by the Institute and to influence innovation in the design of technical education.
We are also responsible for the development of the Institute’s website and internal management information systems.
Corporate Services provides the central functions, structures and governance to enable the Institute to meet statutory, financial, and assurance obligations, including programme and risk management, estates, legal, procurement and contract management. The team also provides strategic and operational leadership to our Route Panel membership and people support to the Institute as a whole.
The Chief of Staff’s office delivers the internal co-ordination that ensures the Institute runs efficiently and effectively, managing the flow of information across the Board, Committee and Route Panel network. We also provide strategic communications to Institute officials and members, ensure effective engagement with our partners and stakeholders, and are responsible for the profile of the Institute.
The Institute is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored and fully-funded by the Department for Education. The terms of sponsorship and funding are agreed annually to reflect any changes to the remit of the Institute. The agreements, whilst giving the organisation the framework within which it must operate, are designed to provide sufficient scope to be independent from government and drive forward the quality agenda.
The Institute relies on the Department for Education for a number of the systems it needs to manage its HR, IT and digital and financial services. Where these services are provided to the Department for Education by shared service providers, the delivery arrangements are provided to the Institute on the same terms. The Institute ensures it manages its finances in line with ‘managing public money’ requirements.
The Institute has recruited and developed a committed, knowledgeable and engaged group of staff since its inception. It has steadily grown in size as capability has been built and the scope of the organisation widened. At the start of April 2019, the Institute had 149 staff members. By March 2020 it is expected that the Institute will have grown to around 206 members of staff.
The key aim for the Institute in developing its workforce will continue to be to recruit quality and retain skill, experience and talent.
Below are some basic details of how the Institute’s staffing is currently comprised.
|
April 2019 Location |
Headcount Permanent Staff Number |
% |
|---|---|---|
|
London |
93 |
62 |
|
Coventry |
51 |
35 |
|
Other |
5 |
3 |
|
April 2019 Gender |
Headcount Permanent Staff Number |
% |
|---|---|---|
|
Female |
88 |
59 |
|
Male |
61 |
41 |