Currently there is no formal blacksmithing apprenticeship....
Much work has been carried out over the last decade to create a new apprenticeship for the blacksmithing sector, a brief history as follows:
In 2011/2012 BABA set up small apprenticeship group to look at developing a new apprenticeship for the blacksmithing sector.
After consulting with several sector skills council organisations Creative and Cultural Skills agreed to assist with the development of National occupational standards.
This required the development of a functional map of the skill sets required for businesses in the blacksmithing sector. The apprenticeship group held five meetings around the UK with blacksmiths to develop the Functional Map setting out the required skills.
We worked with City and Guilds to develop an Apprenticeship standard for blacksmithing. Just as this standard was completed a big change came in developing apprenticeships. All new apprenticeships were now to be developed under the new Trailblazer format. We were advised to move to this new apprenticeship scheme.
The BABA apprenticeship group joined the new National Trailblazer development group to help develop an overarching apprentice standard to serve the craft sector as a whole. This was finally achieved, but there was an obstacle when it came to funding different craft apprenticeships with their differing needs and time frames to deliver the necessary training. This posed a problem for the Skills Training Agency, so the group standard was terminated at this point.
The individual crafts involved had to go on and develop their own individual Trailblazer apprenticeship standard. This new four-year Trailblazer apprenticeship standard was completed and signed off with the appropriate funding level attached.
All that was required now was a delivery centre/college for the off the job training plus an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) to oversee the final assessing of the apprenticeship in year four.
A delivery centre/college for the off the job training was achieved. Finding an EPAO has been a challenge for us as well as other small crafts wanting to run apprenticeships and this issue continues.
The last hurdle is probably the toughest one to resolve...
...finding employers willing to take on apprentices and commit to four years training. Whilst some employers have come forward, they have not been in sufficient numbers to run the the apprenticeship. We need a minimum of eight apprentices.
This has led to further issues with the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Training (IATT), the issue being low numbers starting or no one starting on apprenticeships, and this has resulted in the current blacksmithing apprenticeship being suspended from the government apprenticeship list for twelve months while the issue of no take-up in apprenticeships is resolved.
The Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Training along with the heritage crafts association are looking at how support for employers can be improved, plus alternative ways to assist small craft business with the cost of training apprentices.
The blacksmith apprenticeship group are currently in talks with Creative Alliance, an Independent Training Provider that operates as a social enterprise, in conjunction with The Institute of Apprenticeships, within the current talks we are looking at developing a delivery model that will work for small numbers of apprentices with a funding mechanism to assist employers with the cost of training.
Low or no start-ups for craft apprenticeships is affecting many other crafts. With the work we are currently doing we hoping to open the door for crafts to potentially follow the same model being developed.
The institute for Apprenticeships only supports apprenticeships in England. We have not made any progress with getting this model of apprentice training supported by the devolved Welsh or Scottish governments which significantly limits the potential for apprentice start-ups.