Changes to Higher Apprenticeship frameworks will recognise the skills of higher-level apprentices
Employer concerns have prompted changes to the Higher Apprenticeship framework to ensure that more time is spent on practical learning in the workplace.
Elements which potentially duplicate the existing experience and higher-level skills of apprentices will be removed.
As a result of changes to guidelines for the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE), introduced on 6 April 2013, the following components are no longer mandatory for Level 4-7 Higher Apprenticeship frameworks:
- Functional Skills
- Employee Rights and Responsibilities (ERR)
- Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS).
Removal of these mandatory elements recognises the skills already gained by higher-level apprentices. It will result in the need for fewer classroom hours, more time spent in the workplace gaining valuable practical work-based skills and a shorter completion time for the Higher Apprenticeships.
These optional elements will no longer count towards the credit value for a framework, and funding will not be available within a Higher Apprenticeship framework. However, selected sector skills councils still require these elements to be delivered and assessed as part of the higher apprenticeship framework. We advise that you refer to the relevant framework documents on the Apprenticeship Framework Online (AFO) website for clarification.