| Common Threads 2009 |
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Yesterday FashionCapital was invited to the Common Threads Skillfast-UK event.
This week is Apprenticeship Week and to mark the occasion a collection of providers from the fashion industry came together to discuss the reality of Apprenticeships and how to move forward. Skillfast-UK is the Sector Skills Council for fashion and textiles.  Skillfast-UK aims to: 1. Develop and broker a "Sector Skills Agreement" - a "deal" which brings employers together with funding agencies and learning providers to break down the key barriers to improving skills and training 2. Transform learning supply, by helping the mainstream education system to understand employers' needs, and by developing constructive relationships between employers and institutions 3. Ensure qualifications are fit-for-purpose. If we are to use qualifications as basis for training, then qualifications should reflect the way the industry works, and the skills employers need. We intend to revise qualifications that are not fit-for-purpose, develop new qualifications where they are needed, and "delist" qualifications that are no longer relevant to the industry's needs. The event began with Jamie Petrie, Development Director, of The National Skills Academy, providing an overview of the fashion and textiles sector. He discussed rationalisation of qualifications, Skillfast-UK's business plan and targets and college opportunities to provide training skills. Work experience in fashion and textiles: lessons from recent research with designer makers Points discussed: Why is this research important? Work experience placements are known to add value Evidence suggests their quality is variable Graduates internships are now part of government thinking Designer-makers are a growing source of placements Skillfast-UK is proposing a work experience ‘blueprint'  What are the elements of a good placement? Exchange of ideas, knowledge and technical skills Understanding of how a business is run Meeting people, making contacts Active involvement Not a dogsbody Work shadowing but opportunity to work on own initiative Enjoyable experience Relevant addition to CV In-kind payment - advice, support, access to resources Meaningful contribution to the business What does the business require from the student? Personal attributes Basic employability Initiative Business ethics Awareness of health and safety Employer is realistic about existing skills and experience Business and marketing skills CAD knowledge  What do businesses think about placement applications? Demand for placements outstrips supply Many applications are poor/lack professionalism Prefer a direct approach from student but referrals help Looking for CV, covering letter, portfolio, ideas for the work placement, understanding of the business Assess through face-to-face meeting or even pre-placement project What are the constraints on offering placements? Lack of space Health and safety Financial and travel Academic schedule Time / effort of employer Hassel of in-depth placement report Risk of unsuitable candidate Intellectual property Conclusions In a group discussion after the presentation it was decided that a ‘blueprint' for employees would be extremely beneficial when offering work placements. Some key lessons: Students can improve their mindset and their approach to the employer - statement of responsibility Institutions can consider way in which work placements are structured and advice they provide to students Businesses can ensure that they adopt best practice when offering / delivering a placement.  Chris Hall, Development Manager of Newham College then discussed ‘Apprenticeships, the reality' What is an Apprenticeship? A National Vocational Qualification (NVQ at level 2 or 3) A technical certificate Key Skills Increasing Participation Apprenticeships are a key area in Government strategic planning to increase productivity and economic growth. Starting point has been Lord Leitch's aspirations for 400,000 Apprenticeships in England by 2020 Entitlement to an Apprenticeship place for each suitably qualified young person from 2013 Aiming for significant growth in Apprenticeships for those aged 25 or over - with additional funding What has been the experience of learners? All learners are very positive (once you have outlined the learner journey) All learners are employed status which helps Working on low assessor/learner ratio (average 1:20) increases involvement of the both the assessor and trained mentors within the companies Enjoy the total involvement of the industry centred around the Technical Certificate Celebration of achievement How much value is placed on an Apprenticeship? This depend largely on the company providing the apprenticeships and the aspirations of the learner The relationship between the company and the provider is extremely important to ensure that the apprenticeship is well structured and well controlled in terms of enhancing the opportunities for both Apprenticeships - Affect on the business In the early stages the programme can take a lot of management time to ensure a success. Young people, first job, lack of understanding of work ethic etc Considerable support needed On a positive note - once the apprenticeships ‘Settle in' there is a fantastic opportunity to implement a learning environment within the company if it does not already exist Succession planning Strategic Development Ensure the balance and support is right within the company in terms of encouragement Do's and Don'ts Don't think it's a quick and easy way to increase your bottom line Don't under estimate the time and cost to jump through hoops Do make sure you have all the resources necessary to run a successful programme Do make sure you have industry competent staff who can work with both the apprentices and the management/supervisors within the companies Do enjoy the process of learning with the workers Do enhoy seeing the satisfaction of achievement at awards events Do enjoy the thanks of the management within the companies for the work you carry out. FashionCapital would like to thank Skillfast-UK and all the guest speakers for a very informative event and fantastic networking opportunity. |
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