Ɖ Gardịn vy on aprenṭśps: tîm t lrn fṛm past mstecs
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 6 Dec. 2022)
A dámñ studi hîlîts a flwd n unḍreğletd sistm in dîr nīd v rform
Tyzde 6 Dsmbr 2022
Ɖt ɖ icoṇmi hz a scilz-n-prodctivti probḷm hz bn wn v ɖ rcŕñ ʈīmz v 2022. Riśi Sūnac hz in ɖ past notd ɖt imployrz spend onli haf ɖ Yṛpiyn aṿrij on trenñ ɖer wrcrz. Sins 2005, acordñ t ɖ Lrnñ n Wrc Insttyt, biznis invstmnt in scilz hz fōḷn bî 28%. Sć l’mntbl sttistics, it z wîdli axptd, hv cntribytd t Britn’z historicli anīmic groʈfigrz. Ɖe olso repriznt a grīṿs west v ptnśl in rleśn t miłnz v yuñ ppl enṭrñ ɖ wrcfors. Yt, dspt yirz v guvnmntreṭric rgardñ aprenṭśps in ptiklr, n ɖ intṛdux́n v ɖ aprenṭśp levi on bigr bizṇsz in 2017, nʈñ sīmz t ćenj.
Amd multipl rīsnt rports dliṿrñ grim nyz abt ɖ icoṇmi, wn studi publiśt ɖs munʈ standz ǎt. Intîtld “No Tren, No Gen”, n pṛdyst bî EDSC – an edyceśn ʈnctanc – it fîndz ɖt olmst haf v yuñ ppl sînd p fr aprenṭśps subsiqntli abandn ɖm. Mni v ɖoz hu drop ǎt, ɖ studi’z oʈrz rport, bcm trmiṇli disiluźnd wɖ ẃt ɖe r biyñ ofrd.
It z nt hard t si ẃ. In Jrṃni n uɖr cmpaṛbl cuntriz, frmz oḟrñ aprenṭśps mst cnform t dīteld naśnl gîdlînz. Bt hir bizṇsz apir fri t ofr az mć, or az litl, trenñ az ɖe ćūz. Ɖ indipndnt Rić̣d Rvy, cmiśnd bî ɖ Devid Camṛn guvnmnt a deced ago, insistd ɖt aprenṭśps “nīd t b hî-qoḷti trenñ wɖ sirịs kdos n tanɉbl valy”. Bt ɖ EDSC rport fîndz ɖt guvnmnt-fundd “aprenṭsz” r biyñ hîrd fr dogzbodi jobz sć az mcñ ti n anṣrñ fonz in oḟsz, or grītñ gsts in hosṗtaḷti. In jobz ẃr mīnñfl trenñ cn tec ples, mor ɖn haf v aprenṭsz se ɖe r nt aḷcetd ɖ mandetri wn de a wīc of ɖ job t rsiv trenñ. Sm “cn g wīcs, smtmz munʈs, wɖt rsivñ eni trenñ fṛm a mntr or inḍstri xprt”.
Ɖ rport’s oʈrz rec̣mnd ɖ istabliśmnt v a naśnl aprenṭśp inspctṛt, rplesñ Ofsted. Ɖs wd infors ny mandetri rqîrmnts, sć az 200 fes-t-fes trenñ aurz ć yir. Obvịsli lo-scil rǒlz, ɖe not, r frīqntli biyñ yzd az a cuvr bî unscrūpyḷs imployrz t pe les ɖn ɖ minimm wej. Ɖe śd b tecn ǎt v ɖ aprenṭśp sistm oltgɖr.
Ɖ guvnmnt, ẃć hz plejd t impruv ɖ qoḷti v trenñscīmz, śd tec not bʈ v ɖs dámñ studi n v its pṛpozlz. Jiłn Cīgn, ɖ ny secṛtri v stet fr edyceśn, hrslf srvd an aprenṭśp in Crbi, nir Liṿpul. Ś cn ɖus clem frst-hand nolij v ɖer valy, ẃn proprli dlivrd. Fr far tù mni yuñ ppl, ɖt z nt ɖ ces. Haphaẓd reğleśn n cnsepćl cnfyźn z tarṇśñ ɖ aprenṭśp brand, n mcñ a moc̣ri v tōc abt invstñ in a hî-scil, hî-wej icoṇmi.
Fr sm rīzn, Britn sīmz t hv dveḷpt a cronic probḷm ẃn it cmz t fundñ, nrć̣rñ n acordñ dy prestīź t tecnicl n voceśnl scilz. Ministrz lîc t bost abt ɖ cuntri’z “wrld-clas” yṇvrṣtisistm. Bt f ɖ cuntri z ivnć̣li t fînd an xit rùt fṛm ic̣nomic stagneśn, it wl nīd az wel t dveḷp ɖ ptnśl v yuñ ppl hu d nt tec a forml acdemic rùt aftr scūl. At ɖ momnt, ɖe r biyñ badli let dǎn.
