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Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

The amendments raise some important issues that we grappled with in developing the requirements for the contents of apprenticeship certificates, which are set out in Clause 9. Indeed, we considered both the suggestions in Amendment 9. Our aim has been to strike a balance between setting a clear statutory framework and avoiding placing unnecessary burdens on individuals, providers and employers. To include qualifications that have been successfully completed on the completion certificate would duplicate existing information. For the apprenticeship certificate to be awarded, the apprentice must have completed the qualifications set out in the framework. The awarding bodies will provide certificates for the qualifications for which they are responsible. Indeed, I have in my possession somewhere at home a range of City and Guilds certificates, if I could ever find them again. The name of the employer with which the apprentice trained will be available on the individual’s CV. It will be a piece of information routinely included in application forms for jobs. It was interesting listening to the eloquent contribution of the noble Baroness, Lady Garden, when she pointed out some of the problems with including employers’ names on apprenticeship certificates. Similarly, I recognise that there might be some interest in knowing with which provider an apprentice undertook their learning, but I should point out, as did the noble Baroness, Lady Garden, that this would not necessarily be a college of further education. She gave a number of interesting examples of why providing that information would not be appropriate. Details of the institution and awarding body may be provided on the certificates issued for each of the qualifications attained during the apprenticeship. To include these details again on the apprenticeship completion certificate would be unnecessary duplication. Perhaps the most important point for me is that we should ensure that there is parity of esteem for apprenticeships. If somebody has an apprenticeship certificate and makes it clear that they have undertaken an apprenticeship where the standards have been clearly defined to a high set of criteria and have been validated, that is what an employer would specifically be interested in. There is a concern about identifying, for instance, FE colleges. There are FE colleges and FE colleges. Do we really want that to be associated with the apprenticeship certificate? We do not want to in any way undermine the fact that the individual concerned has been through that apprenticeship and has met the requirements of the apprenticeship standards. We have concerns about FE colleges in that respect. If, despite that, these matters are important to an employer, the information will be available to them through the other routes that I have described. I recognise that there is a debate on this issue and I assure the Committee that if, in the light of practice and experience, it becomes clear that it is necessary to make regulations specifying other matters to be included in the certificate, Clause 9(2) provides this power. Turning to Amendment 11, I pay tribute to my noble friend Lady Wall for her intervention. I am happy to reiterate the importance of sector skills councils to the apprenticeship programme. They are the bodies that, in consultation with employers, will help to derive the apprenticeship framework; they are the bodies that will make sure that it aligns itself with certain standards. I am happy to confirm that the apprenticeship certificate will state the name of the apprenticeship framework and the sector to which it relates and will carry the branding or logo of the sector skills council that issued the framework. There may be occasions when the issuing authority is not a sector skills council—for example, when the framework covers an occupation that is not within the footprint of a sector skills council. In such cases, temporary alternative issuing arrangements will have to be made and it would not be appropriate to include the branding on the certificate. However, that is an exceptional circumstance. While we expect the National Apprenticeship Service to include the sector skills council branding on apprenticeship certificates, we do not consider it appropriate to require that in the Bill. Wales will have its own arrangements for the issuing of apprenticeship certificates—I am frightened to mention the word "Wales" in case it encourages another debate—and I understand that Welsh Ministers, too, will expect their issuing authority to include sector skills council branding. I hope that the noble Lord and the noble Baroness will be willing not to press their amendments and recognise that what we need to ensure is that, when an apprentice produces their apprenticeship certificate, it does not matter, with due respect, whether it has been obtained with the help of a certain FE college or another training provider; what matters is that we have provided a quality experience for that apprentice and validated it, so an employer can say, "With that certificate, I can be confident when I employ that apprentice".