CEC wins £1 million investment to boost apprenticeship take-up

Salesforce is investing £1 million in The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to help overcome barriers to apprenticeship take-up. 

Salesforce will partner with the CEC, England’s national body for careers education, to invest in an  ‘accelerator’ programme, boosting access to digital apprenticeships in disadvantaged communities.

The Digital Futures Accelerator Fund (DFAF) will use latest data and evidence from the CEC’s new Apprenticeships and Technical Education (ATE) Framework, which is published today. 

‘Conditions  for Transition’ is a region-by-region analysis against the eight identified factors that affect transition onto ATE pathways for young people in England. 

The report draws together publicly available evidence and data with insight from more than 500  experts from education, business and local authorities, drawn from 43 regions – including Leicester and Leicestershire. 

The DFAF announcement, and publication of Conditions for Transition, are designed to help  employers and young people meet their future ambitions – seizing the opportunity of increasing enthusiasm for routes such as apprenticeships.  

A CEC survey of 104,000 young people shows awareness of apprenticeships is improving – more than doubling from 37% in Year 7 to 80% in Year 11. 

What the report highlights is there is no one size fits all solution. Targeting the right barriers with  the right remedy in the right region is essential to boosting provision and opportunity.

Careers Hubs – together with local partners – are using this analysis to take action over the next academic year.  

Gerarde Manley, Strategic Lead, Leicester and Leicestershire’s Careers Hub, said:

“We are working with partners across Leicester and Leicestershire, amplifying apprenticeships and technical vocation routes as a priority in our work with schools and colleges.”

Phoebe Dawson, CEO, LLEP, said:

“Our Careers Hub is focusing on working with partners to increase uptake of apprenticeships and T-levels.  This work supports our LLEP Economic Growth Strategy and Apprenticeship Strategy.”

Conditions for Transition highlights how a young person’s journey onto a technical pathway is affected by eight key factors (including employer need in the area, young people’s awareness etc.)

Although the analysis suggests that the barriers vary region by region, sector by sector, person by person, there were some common national themes, including:

• Employer need does not always translate into opportunity;
• Young people’s interest does not always translate into take up;
• There are good support programmes in place that are making a difference – better collaboration and coordination would boost effectiveness.

Oli de Botton, Chief Executive, CEC, recently met with the Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub:

“We hope this new ATE Framework will help everyone in the system work together efficiently and  effectively and support more young people make that successful transition to apprenticeships and  technical education and take their best next step.”