New service to support redundant apprentices

Apprentices who have been made redundant will be able to get help to achieve their qualifications, recognition for their learning and assistance to take the next step in their careers through a new service.

The Apprentice Transition Plan service will see more support for apprentices made redundant to help them get qualified; to provide a statement of their achievement recognising prior learning and an action plan for their next steps.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a disproportionate impact on young people and the Scottish Government and Skills development Scotland are putting support for apprentices and young people at heart of recovery.

The introduction of the Apprentice Transition Plan service is part of a range of measures to support the Scottish Government’s Youth Guarantee Scheme with an aim to prevent long-term scarring of youth unemployment.

The service will be delivered by either the apprentice’s learning provider or a designated third-party provider.

Those benefiting from the support will receive one-to-one guidance to help them achieve their qualification and move on through further learning or employment.

Part of the service will include creation of a Record of Achievement that documents an individual’s skills, training and qualifications to date.

The Record of Achievement aims to support job applications and will outline an apprentice’s capabilities benchmarked against a national SCQF standard, to help employers make informed recruitment decisions.

Skills Development Scotland Head of Work based Learning Quality Delivery, Karen Murray said: “It’s vital that apprentices affected by the pandemic are given support to help them achieve their qualification and progress on to a positive destination, whether that is on to further learning or into a new job.

“The support through the Apprentice Transition Plan service will help to ensure that talent developed through apprenticeships is not lost as a result of COVID-19.

“The Apprentice Transition Plan aims to make sure individuals have support to complete their apprenticeship if they can, take the next steps and best demonstrate their achievements and transferable skills to prospective employers.”