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Where is the STEM in Apprenticeship?

Where is the STEM in Apprenticeship?. Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin Oxford Science Festival alison.fuller@soton.ac.uk l.unwin@ioe.ac.uk www.twitter.com/llakescentre. Content of Apprenticeship. 1. How far do apprenticeships address the STEM agenda?

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Where is the STEM in Apprenticeship?

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  1. Where is the STEM in Apprenticeship? Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin Oxford Science Festival alison.fuller@soton.ac.uk l.unwin@ioe.ac.uk www.twitter.com/llakescentre

  2. Content of Apprenticeship 1. How far do apprenticeships address the STEM agenda? 2. Content shaped by: occupational knowledge and skills; visible and ‘hidden curriculum’ of community of practice; State’s demands for qualifications 3. Great variability of content in English apprenticeships - ‘fit for purpose’ - expansive-restrictive continuum

  3. Where are the STEM apprentices?

  4. Specification of Apprenticeship Standards in England (SASE) • competence-based component (NVQ at level of apprenticeship) • knowledge-based component (part of NVQ or stand-alone qualification • Functional Skills (mathematics, English language and ICT) - at same level or lower - ICT not mandatory • Personal learning and thinking skills • Employee Rights and Responsibilities

  5. Variable Reality of SASE • Minimum 280 Guided Learning Hours (of which 100 ‘away from work station’) • Aeronautical Engineering (Level 2) - NVQ of 215 GLH + BTEC Dip of 360 GLH • Customer Service - NVQ 192 GLH + C&G Cert of 115 GLH • Vast majority of frameworks - No requirement for STEM as disciplinary knowledge beyond maths in Functional Skills

  6. Level 2 Health and Social Care • One year apprenticeship, fixed term employment contract • Scheme targeted at unemployed young people (18-24), salary subsidised by Future Jobs Fund • University Hospital NHS Trust • Off-the-job in hospital’s vocational training centre, approx. a day a month • On-the-job training, mentoring, assessment

  7. Joanna • A-levels in Biology, Law, Media Studies • Plastering assistant working across two hospital sites • Limited applicability of generic L2 H&SC apprenticeship framework • Scientific (e.g. anatomy) & technical (e.g. materials) content/theory and training relevant to job but outside requirements of framework qualifications • Glass ceiling without opportunity to complete formal off-the-job ‘plastering technician’ course (not available under apprenticeship programme)

  8. Truncated Journey Q That aspect where you said you’re not able to work unsupervised, is that directly associated with going on this course? A Yeah absolutely. Q …the moment that you’ve completed that course would you then be able to work on your own? A Yeah, be able to work on my own, yeah… …it can be taken pretty much anywhere really, it’s pretty much a universal qualification, so up and down the country or even abroad. [Currently] I’m somewhere between an HCA and a plaster technician.

  9. Carl • GCSEs at A*-C inc. English and Maths • “HCA in Neuro Theatres” • Technical job, working with equipment/technology in surgical environment • Working with registered healthcare professionals (doctors, anaesthetists, theatre nurses, operating department practitioners) • Glass ceiling - career progression via NVQ then formal ODP training and qualification (Level 5)

  10. Scientific/technical content Q If we take the technical certificate was that a generic general qualification or was that more dedicated towards the peri-operative? Q That was probably the worst bit of it, the technical certificate, because that really was aimed at care and stuff, and there were multiple questions in it which just had no application to my role in the slightest, asking about how you take service users down to the shops…and that’s just not something that we do here. The actual NVQ itself was better because it seemed to be aimed more at people who work in theatres…

  11. Linda • GCSEs, jobs as process worker in dental lab • Employer offers to sponsor her through an ‘apprenticeship’ • PT attendance on FD in dental technology at local university leading to registration as ‘dental technician’ • Leads to completion of BSc dental technology provides credential to access job as orthodontic technologist and NHS career framework

  12. STEM apprenticeship – STEM occupation Yeah, we work with materials like wire, all different kinds of wire actually. All different kinds of polymers, thermoform and plastics, cast emissions, polishing machines, yeah, that’s basically it! The range of appliances that we do is vast. You have to know basically all the different kinds of components that can be potentially used…sometimes, even, we’re asked to provide an appliance which will do a particular job, and we have to think about what components we should probably include in that appliance to achieve the outcome that the Consultant is after.

  13. Questions for discussion • What is the potential for apprenticeship to contribute to the STEM workforce? • What should the government be doing to increase STEM-based apprenticeship? • Is there enough demand in the UK economy for STEM apprenticeships (case for registration)? • Young people want to be apprentices in STEM occupations (eg Rolls Royce, British Telecom oversubscribed) – + will ‘reverse transfer’ increase among graduates?

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