Robin Newton MBE MLA

ROBIN Newton East Belfast DUP MLA, currently Deputy Chair of the Employment and Learning Committee has expressed his disappointment at the approach taken by Minister Empey following the launch of his latest programme on apprenticeship training. It is unacceptable that the Minister launches his programme without fully considering the approach taken by the Committee and without a response to the members.

Robin Newton said,

“On Monday 22 June the Minister welcomed an Employment and Learning Committee report on apprenticeship training and confirmed to the House he considered the committee’s report to be “a fresh input.”

In taking evidence from a wide range of stakeholders a continuing theme from those professionals involved in this vital area was that apprentices should be employed from the commencement of their training. The importance of “a proper job” when combined with the production of real work, not training exercises, allows the apprentice to gain the knowledge and skills indispensable to employers. This instruction can be supported by off-the-job college attendance for the vocational qualification tuition. 

The Minister is taking an approach within which the apprentices will be “unwaged apprentices”, will undertake simulated work and will spend only one day per week with an employer and four days within a college. It is doubtful if this one day per week can be secured.

This downgrading of apprenticeship training is a backwards step and will not produce skilled employees at the standard employers require. These “unwaged apprentices” will not have an opportunity to gain the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge about their chosen vocation. As experience tells us our young people will become frustrated and uninspired and a valuable career pathway is unlikely to be attained.

The Minister describes his initiative as an intervention measure that will allow him the opportunity to test another model for apprenticeship training. The Minister knows very well the standard of employee the employers need and this intervention programme will not meet those standards.. In doing so he sets aside the Pre-Apprenticeship programme under Training for Success. This seems more like a panic measure following his failure, within his apprenticeship fostering scheme, to recruit one employer having launched the scheme months ago.

Minister Empey must listen to the professionals involved in skills development and replicate the high quality training provision of organisations like, Bombardier, NIES, Engineering Training Council etc. for apprentices across all sectors on industry.”