My Lords, in moving Amendment 4, I shall also speak to Amendments 7 and 19 in my name. Amendments 4 and 19 have the same intention and objectives. I support what the Government are trying to do and thank the Minister and his team for the meetings we have had and the information they have conveyed to us. I come at this from the point of view of constructive criticism and suggestions. Getting towards the target of 3 million apprenticeships in the lifetime of this Parliament is a formidable challenge and I welcome the Government setting it. We have said on many occasions, and the Minister has agreed, that although the target is there, the first priority has to be the quality of the apprenticeships. We must ensure that, in the minds of the public at large, potential apprentices, their parents and employers, this is a quality product and a worthwhile career path which would, in many cases, be an alternative to university. That emphasises the importance of maintaining the status and standing of apprenticeships.
4.45 pm
I asked the Minister and the Bill team what would happen if a young apprentice felt that their apprenticeship was inadequate in terms of the way they were being treated or the training provided. The answer was understandable in some ways—namely, that in the first instance the young person concerned could raise his or her concerns with their employer, and if that did not work, they could go back to the training provider. I cannot remember what the third option was. However, a young person in their first job may feel somewhat diffident about making a complaint to their employer. In some ways, I would want them to raise their concerns with their employer—I will return to that issue when I discuss my Amendment 19—as I would want both the employer and the employee to understand their rights and responsibilities under the apprenticeship. In ideal circumstances, they should be able to do that. However, we have been told that the quality of apprenticeships will be assessed in the main by Ofsted, and that a risk-based approach will be adopted. I understand that. There is no problem with well-established apprenticeships—I use the term “Rolls-Royce” in both a literal and metaphorical sense—as they have very competent and well-appointed HR departments. A young person joining such an established company is unlikely to have any problems. If he or she encountered problems, I am pretty sure that they would feel confident about raising them with their employer. But what about much smaller enterprises? If we are to increase the number of apprentices significantly, we have to focus on SMEs. Small enterprises, single-person enterprises or microbusinesses do not necessarily have well-established HR departments. In fact, it is highly unlikely that they do. Therefore, there is potential for things to go wrong in these enterprises. I remind the House that not many years ago a young lad on an apprenticeship went out to work and never came home when a fatal accident occurred. That is a rarity but it has happened. I do not seek to build on that, but we should understand the importance of ensuring that the work environment is safe and that the employer is carrying out the responsibilities he has agreed to carry out.
I would not have thought the Minister would have much of a problem with a single source of information that enables apprentices to find out about the technical routes I have outlined, the available courses, how to apply for them and other issues. The Government probably address these issues in any event through the National Apprenticeship Service. However, I consider that proposed new paragraph (e) in my Amendment 4, which addresses the ability to,
“complain about the quality of teaching or training”,
is a vital part of apprenticeship provision. The Government have already established an employee rights helpline for employees who are not apprentices. I seek to build on that principle. To maintain the status and working effectiveness of apprenticeships, it is even more important that young apprentices should feel confident that if their employer is not responding to a genuine complaint they can take it somewhere else and it will be acted on. Therefore I see this as a vital part of the Government’s intention to substantially increase not only the sheer number of apprenticeships but the
number of participating employers. I remind the House that at the moment only something like one in five employers takes on apprentices, so we have a long way to go.
Amendment 19 states:
“For the purposes of ensuring the quality and status of apprenticeships, the Institute must ensure that apprenticeship agreements … include the rights and responsibilities of the person or employer providing the apprenticeship; … include the rights and responsibilities of the apprentice; and … are signed by the person or employer providing the apprenticeship and the apprentice; and … where appropriate”—
if they are under 18—“by the parents”. Apprentices get or used to get a certificate on becoming an apprentice—I think it came from the Department for Education or BIS—but that is not good enough in the current situation. If we are serious about enhancing the status of apprenticeships, there should be a formal occasion when both sides recognise that this is a big step in the life of a young person, and they both recognise their rights and responsibilities. I do not see this as one side of the equation. An employer has the right to expect a young person taking part in an apprenticeship to do the basic things: to turn up on time every day of the week—as I have said to some young people, not looking like you have just fallen out of the laundry basket—and to display enthusiasm when you get to the place of employment. This may seem like stating the obvious, but employers will tell you that some young people seem to be deficient in some of what are wrongly described as “soft skills” but which are really essential skills: the ability to recognise that they are part of a team, and how to interact with customers. There is a real practical purpose in what I am seeking to achieve, and it is not a one-sided thing—I am asking exactly the same thing of apprentices. A formal signing ceremony would enhance the status of apprenticeships. Where the apprentice was under 18, the parents would see the significance of this situation. If the Government are genuinely seeking—as I am sure they are—to enhance the status of apprenticeships, I hope that they will take a positive approach to Amendment 19.
On Amendment 7, I remind the Government—not that I necessarily think they need reminding—about what I have already mentioned. If we are to succeed, it is important that we encourage small and medium-sized businesses to employ apprentices. I want the institute to look at the performance of local enterprise partnerships, local authorities and training providers with regard to both the quality and quantity of apprenticeships they provide. If you look at the evidence available around the country, the performance is what I could only describe as rich and varied, and in some cases not rich enough. However, there are some very good examples of what is happening out there. Surely, if we are seized of the importance of involving a greater number of employers than the one in five we have at the moment, there is value in identifying the best practice in making that information readily available. I suggested an annual report because Parliament needs to see on an annual basis the progress we have made, and if we do not make progress in this area, the Government will fail to achieve the objectives that they have set out.
That is the basis for the amendments. I argue that in a way they are complementary and I think that they build on the debate that we had in Committee. I trust that the Minister will receive them sympathetically and I look forward to his response.