Water and energy companies heralded as trailblazing on apprenticeships

Water and energy companies were praised last week for leading all other sectors in terms of delivering apprentices under the new English apprenticeship standards.

Speaking at an Energy & Utility Skills event in the House of Lords to celebrate the 500th apprentice completing end point assessment, cross-bench peer Lord Aberdare called the energy and utilities sector “the trailblazer of trailblazers”. Unlike many other sectors, he said these companies had “picked up the ball and run with it, even if though the rules were not entirely clear”.

Sir Gerry Berragan, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships, added the water and energy sector “deserves recognition because it is one of the most trailblazing of all those involved with developing new apprenticeships.” He explained: “The gas network craftsperson level three apprenticeship was one of the first eight standards approved for delivery back in 2015, and it had the first apprentices to complete end-point assessments (EPAs). There are now over 600 apprentices who have completed from the energy and utilities sector, out of just over 4,000 who have passed EPAs across all sectors.

This shows how quickly they were off the mark, with adopting and adapting to the new wave of apprenticeships. They have been exemplary.”

By the time of the House of Lords event, 633 apprentices had passed the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service’s end-point assessment, which provides assessment on ten English Apprenticeship Standards.

Energy & Utility Skills group chief executive Nick Ellins commented that the event, which brought together many of the apprentices with utility and supply chain employers and a range of other stakeholders, “witnessed the work at the cutting edge of implementing these reforms being publicly recognised” and utilities being “praised for directly helping UK plc to address its skills shortages.”