Questions and Answers
Background
What is the Redeployment Support Project (RSP)?
The RSP is a project to support apprentices of all ages and in all sectors across the South East region that have been made redundant or are under threat of being made redundant. The project will support those apprentices nearing completion to complete their Apprenticeship Frameworks and in so doing complete their qualification and increase their chance of gaining another job.
Why is the RSP needed?
The document ‘World Class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All’ clearly outlines the Government’s commitment to expanding and strengthening the Apprenticeship programme. The RSP has been created as part of a package of measures being put in place by the Government in response to the economic downturn.
What is the aim of the project?
The aim is to ensure that redundant apprentices are provided with a work based training placement with an employer to enable them to complete their Apprenticeship Framework and enhance their opportunities of sourcing alternative employment.
As part of the project we have been contacting and visiting providers. As we do so we are collecting questions that have been raised. Below you will find a number of questions and answers that we hope will help you to support the project. We will be continually updating this document as the project progresses.
Capacity
Question:
How many apprentices can be offered support under the project?
Answer:
As many as are eligible under the terms of the programme. The project has a target to support a minimum of 625 ‘redundant’ apprentices under the project. It may be possible to extend this number if there is greater demand.
Question
How many hours should the apprentice work per week?
Answer
The hours need to comply with the Apprenticeship Guidance and ensure that the Apprentice has time to complete their qualification within the 26 weeks.
Eligibility
Question:
How near the end of their Apprenticeship Framework must an Apprentice be to be eligible for this programme?
Answer:
The apprentice can be in a work placement and receiving a training allowance of £95 per week for up to 26 weeks.
Question:
Does the apprentice have to complete their Apprenticeship Framework within the 26 weeks offered under this project?
Answer:
The completion of the Framework is outside the scope of the ESF specification, however it is expected that providers will make every effort to support apprentices to complete their framework and in so doing draw down ‘completion’ payments and maintain their MLP. Providers are also expected to support the apprentice/s to gain sustainable employment or other learning on the completion of their work based training placement and help them to develop their skills in job search and CV writing to support them to find full employment.
Question:
Can an apprentice complete 26 weeks in one employer placement and if they have not completed their framework but only have small amount to complete be moved to a second work placement for a further 26 weeks?
Answer:
This programme offers a maximum of 26 weeks training allowance for each redundant apprentice. At 26 weeks they need to complete the programme.
Question:
If an apprentice’s position is made redundant, can the employer use support from this project to keep them on and complete their Framework?
Answer:
We need to ensure that this project is not used to ‘off load’ apprentices while at the same time retaining them in a role that they have declared as being redundant. Providers will need to consider:
- If the job has been made redundant, will there be sufficient scope and appropriate scope to support the apprentice to complete their framework whilst with the same employer?
- Are there any agreements between the employer and relevant Trade Union/s which might make this arrangement difficult?
- Would the apprentice be satisfied with this arrangement as s/he will not be employed and may have to take a drop in wages/salary?
Employer eligibility
Question:
Can a provider take the apprentice into a work placement within their organisation if they can offer the work exposure that the apprentice needs to complete their framework or whilst seeking a suitable ‘work placement’ for the apprentice?
Answer:
Yes, the provider is an employer and as such, as long as the work placement offers the opportunity and work exposure required to complete the framework then they can be one of the employers offering these opportunities
Question:
Can an apprentice be placed with more than one employer during their time on the RSP?
Answer:
If the work placement does not work out the apprentice can be moved to another employer. However, the incentive payments for 1 apprentice can only be paid once. If the apprentice is with one employer for 4 weeks employer 1 will get first £200 payment, then the apprentice moves to another employer and the 2nd employer would get the 2nd £200 payment?
Construction trades
Question:
Constructionskills are supporting Construction apprentices who are made redundant but what happens to apprentices who fall out of scope for the Constructionskills project – e.g. electrical engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc?
Answer:
The RSP is able to support apprentices who fall ‘out of scope’ of the Constructionskills project. That is any apprentice who is not undertaking the traditional construction skills such as building, carpentry, etc. Electrical, heating and ventilation, plumbing would be out of scope for Constructionskills and therefore ’in scope’ of this Redundancy Support Programme.
Programme led Apprenticeships
Question:
If an apprentice has been made redundant and has been put on a PLA (where they are able to stay for up to 6 months), can they remain on PLP for the maximum amount of time in order that they get to a point where the 26 weeks time limit for the RSP will allow them to complete their framework?
Answer:
In principle, this could work as long as while on the 26 week Redundancy Support Programme they are able to complete their full framework.
Question:
Some providers are taking an apprentice on to PLA for the first 6 months. During this time they would do 3 days in the training centre/college and 2 days work experience with an employer. The idea being that at the end of the 6 months the employer would then offer them full employment. Providers are finding that employers who had previously said they would offer employment are unable to do so due to the economic downturn. The question is would the provider be able to use this programme to encourage an employer to offer ‘work experience’?
Answer:
Once again, this programme can support the apprentice as long as they are deemed to have every chance of completing the full framework in the 26 weeks of the RSP support.