The BWF leads a coalition of organisations across the construction sector to protect the future of apprenticeships

In June the BWF attended a meeting with Skills England to work through the proposals that the Government were introducing to reform apprenticeships in England. This consisted of two major changes;

To reduce the overall time it takes to deliver an apprenticeship to around 8 months,

To reform the assessment and end point process.

As a member of the level 2 in Carpentry and Joinery apprenticeship trailblazer, the BWF were invited to join the review for one of the chosen five “test pilots” which has enabled us to unpick, on behalf of our members, what the changes mean.

What does this mean for apprenticeships?

In short, if the proposed changes are implemented this will have a negative impact; casting doubt on the competence of an individual who undertakes the Site Carpentry and Joinery Level 2 apprenticeship, but more fundamentally it effects every apprenticeship across all levels in England. If this reform goes through, Skills England will be looking to mirror this process for every apprenticeship framework from level 2 up to the highest level.

Where are we now?

Since June, the BWF has been vehemently fighting the reforms on behalf of the sector but has sadly found that at every stage our feedback has been ignored or brushed aside by the Government, which has been incredibly frustrating and infuriating.

Through months of networking and collaborating with as many organisations as possible and working through the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) – in particular Sector Lead Group 10 Installer and Trades – the BWF is now leading a coalition of 23 organisations from across the construction sector to lobby Government and challenge the apprenticeship reforms.

Letter to the Prime Minister

A letter outlining the coalitions concerns was issued to the Prime Minister, Skills Minister, Secretary of State for the DWP and many more parliamentarians on Monday 20 October.

What can you do?

Download our letter HERE and use this to write to your local MP’s or influential contacts and help challenge the proposed reforms.

If you want to find out more about anything listed in this post or the attached letter, please contact BWF CEO Helen Hewitt, helen.hewitt@bwf.org.uk