We group occupations together that have related knowledge, skill requirements and behaviours into 15 ‘routes’, making it easier to see how they connect to one another.
The occupational maps are simply a way of showing the relationships that exist between education, qualifications, apprenticeships and occupations in England. We call them maps because they help people to find their way through the careers and training landscape more easily.
The maps are really useful and they:
The maps also show the types of technical education products available for each occupation including:
Use of the occupational maps is free.
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I contributed to guidance and decisions regarding new and existing apprenticeships in England – Level 3 to Level 6, from thatched roofer to low carbon heating technician.
It’s the first time that I have taken a strategic role, appointed for my experience both in industry and higher education. It was daunting to think that my contributions could change the direction of an apprenticeship, and I was mindful of other people on the panel that seemed to have better understanding and more experience than me.
The Panel were great – they were welcoming and once I got into the rhythm of the meeting agendas and structures, I began to vocalise any thoughts I had – even if it was outside my own technical understanding. The IfATE employees were equally supportive with the administration aspect, especially when Covid-19 meant the meeting had to be switched online.
My role in project management meant that I often thought more of the interpersonal nature of the learning, any client facing opportunities and how digital skills need to support communications. Each Panel member was able to bring their own experience to discussions and this meant that broader skills development was considered and incorporated.
It is important that the Panel is made up of diverse and inclusive representation. Our most recent panel members represent SMEs and trade. However, there is also room for more. The Panel would be stronger with more facilities management and building services representation.
Its part of our make up to give back, and this is one fantastic way that you can. Not only will you see the effort that goes into apprenticeship design and delivery, but you can shape this too. Take your passion, and put it to good use!
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To meet these goals, all jobs will need to become ‘greener’. Learners will need more ‘green skills’ for new or changing jobs. Apprenticeship and other technical qualifications will therefore need to change, and IfATE is ready to help!
IfATE expects standards and qualifications to factor in green. We are aiming for qualifications and standards that:
IfATE has published the green toolkit to help.
What’s in the toolkit?
The toolkit sets out 6 ‘Green Themes’:
Considering these six themes will help to describe how jobs, and the skills to do them, will change.
The toolkit also includes routes-specific guidance, green behaviours, and our way of defining ‘green jobs’.
The toolkit contains step by step guidance on how to use it. This guidance is tailored to different users, including employers creating or revising standards, awarding bodies, and route panels.
The previous version of the toolkit, the "Sustainability Framework", was used to green many occupations. For example, adding KSBs on reducing waste and following environment laws to construction standards. The new toolkit goes even further.
Embracing green isn’t just loaded with benefits, it’s also rapidly becoming the only option. As our climate changes, employers need people with the skills to comply with the law, and make the most of new opportunities.
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T Levels are 2-year courses for 16–19-year-olds who have completed their GCSEs. Whether students want to move into skilled employment or continue their studies – the T Level is a nationally recognised certificate that opens doors!
T Levels combine classroom learning with hands-on experience and include an integrated 45-day industry placement. This means 80% of a student’s time is spent in a classroom, and the other 20% in a working environment.
Farmer having agriculture session with T Level students.
For prospective learners:
T Levels are an alternative to A Levels, apprenticeships, and other post-16 courses. It is a qualification designed by leading businesses and employers to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in your chosen career.
While T Levels prepare you for the working world, they can also be a stepping stone into higher education. Each T Level is the equivalent to 3 A Levels, with a T Level Distinction* being equal to 3 A*s at A Level. The T Level can be converted into UCAS points, meaning that you can go on to apply to study at university.
For employers:
Taking on T Level students is an opportunity to shape the future of your industry with talented individuals. T Level industry placements are a free government scheme – so you do not need to pay to take on a learner.
Employers benefit from offering these placements as you get to train new talent up to your professional standards – which can be useful for filling skills gaps in the existing workforce, and for future recruitment.
You can find more information about T Levels on a dedicated government website.
All Apprenticeships, Higher Technical Qualifications, and T Levels are based on occupations recognised by employers. The Occupational Maps bring these together to show where technical education can lead. There are 15 maps, one for each route.
You can also find out more about the wide range of available T Levels on our social media channels all week (2 October to 6 October, 2023)
]]>Our work aims to make sure apprenticeships and technical education are of the highest quality. This helps to give every employer and individual the skills they need to succeed.
The apprentice panel aims to help apprentices, employers and training providers work better together to improve the quality of apprenticeships.
The panel help to inform all areas of IfATE’s work by giving apprentices a voice and sharing their different experiences and views.
The apprentice panel outside the House of Lords, at the Simpler Skills System launch in 2023.
The panel brings together apprentices from a wide range of backgrounds, representing apprenticeship levels and occupations from the 15 major business sectors (or occupational routes as we call them).
The panel meets every six weeks online and occasionally at face-to-face meetings at exciting venues such as the House of Lords. The panel has supported with projects such as:
Panel members also attend IfATE board meetings to update on panel activity. They offer the board advice and challenge on relevant issues. From time to time, they meet with ministers and other government officials. This helps to make sure that new polices take account of what matters to apprentices.
The panel support in other ways such as:
Being a panel member is a fabulous opportunity to develop professional and personal support network and influence the future of technical education.
You can find more information about who is on our apprentice panel on our website.
]]>And to mark it, Kristofer McGhee, LGBTQ+ advocate and General Counsel for IfATE, provided these tips for businesses.
Kristofer McGhee is the General Counsel for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).
1. Don’t be afraid to ask! - Foster an inclusive culture and build your understanding as much as you can. The LGBTQ+ community is hugely diverse and can take some time to understand! Don’t ever be afraid to ask if people use a LGBTQ+ term you don’t understand, or if you’d like their opinion on inclusivity in the workplace. You might be surprised at how encouraged and grateful they are to have an employer willing to learn!
2. Go beyond the required - Though all workplaces will have equality policies in place, make sure these are put into action, any discriminatory actions are dealt with swiftly, that diversity is truly valued and that everyone can be their true selves in the workplace.
3. Offer support where it is needed and have visible role models - Some people may be unsure of their identity, while others may sadly suffer discrimination. Knowing that their workplace is open and offers a safe place to talk will be a great support for these apprentices. Junior employees, including apprentices and work experience students, truly value seeing leaders who are openly LGBT+ as it creates a sense of comfort and aspiration.
4 Celebrate and take part in LGBTQ+ events - This could be Pride Month, National Coming Out Day, a Pride Event or the Trans Day of Visibility. All these events build awareness and ensure your apprentice will feel valued and accepted within the workplace.
5. Networks and Allies - Have staff networks or, where you don’t, support your LGBT+ staff to start them up – setting up a new network, or contributing to an existing network, is a great way for apprentices to really find their place in the workplace.
6. Be diverse in your recruitment and aware of labels and pronouns - When recruiting – senior and junior staff but also apprentices – make sure your recruitment literature reaffirms your commitment to equality, diversity and LGBT+ staff. People look out for this when joining a company and they want to feel your culture. Be aware that for some in the LGBTQ+ community, labels such as “gay” or “bi” are empowering, for others they are oppressive – pronouns likewise are a matter of choice.
]]>Hamza Islam, at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, shared his experiences as a current level 7 solicitor apprentice and why he chose to do an apprenticeship to progress in his career.
Hamza Islam is a solicitor apprentice at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.
There was limited scope of my awareness to apprenticeships, I was already leaning towards law via the traditional pathway of university and therefore it made logical sense. My experience with apprenticeships was completely accidental and only occurred through a chance insight experience. I received an email follow-up detailing a firm’s apprentice offering and began using that as a basis to apply to others.
I have had incredible opportunities through both my employer and my own presence within the apprenticeship space. I value the voice I have been given to speak to bodies, such as IfATE and the Law Society, regarding points of discussion as a legal apprentice. I have represented my firm on a global level as a charitable ambassador, which saw me travel to Cambodia with Save The Children UK.
I have been involved in market-leading deals and I’m establishing an organisation alongside apprentices from other providers to to help mitigate the lack of awareness we initially found with the route.
If I had any words of wisdom, it would be: “Being an apprentice often means dancing with the spotlight; I would recommend embracing the light as that’s the only way a path can be established.”
]]>Rachel, Laura and Lisa have experienced apprenticeships in care services at Hertfordshire County Council. Hear from their experiences in developing their careers through apprenticeships.
I’ve completed the level 2, 3 and 5 adult social care apprenticeships because I wanted to further my career and professionally develop whilst within my role. I thoroughly enjoyed the learning, which I wouldn’t have necessarily ever delved into had it not been for the apprenticeship.
I learnt a great deal from the apprenticeships I have been on and would encourage others to do the same should they wish to develop their skills, knowledge, and confidence in whichever sector they’re working in.
I started my career in social work through a level 2 apprenticeship. I am currently completing my social work degree through an apprenticeship.
Being able to complete a degree whilst remaining in my role is a huge opportunity and it has enabled me to develop my understanding with opportunities to progress in my career.
My first apprenticeship enabled me to get into social work and I learned that social work was what I wanted to do for my career. Having the opportunity to experience different aspects of social work through the placements has been extremely valuable, I would not have had the chance to experience these teams without the apprenticeship.
l have completed level 2 and 4 apprenticeships in adult social care and I hope to progress to the level 5 leader in adult care apprenticeship this year. I wanted to develop practice-based skills, increase my experience working in various settings and learn whilst working.
The apprenticeship process has and will continue to support me within the workplace, providing me with the essential knowledge to fulfil my role. I feel it has enabled me to reflect and review my way of working, and supported me to feel more confident. I would always recommend it as it is a great opportunity and opens doors for growth within your career.
]]>I had to be through security by 8.30am and in my seat by 9am, so I set off early to make sure I wasn’t late - although I still found myself running to get there on time with a dozen other people in frocks and hats, who’d all made the same route plan to Victoria Tower Gardens, only to find barriers rerouting us quite a way! I was determined not to miss anything so tried not to get distracted by various well-known people.
Suffice to say, once through security the rest of the day was joyful.
I initially sat near the Abbeys’ transept, between Ian Blackwood, the SNP leader in the House of Commons, and Edmund – who ran the King’s estate at Sandringham.
It soon became clear that I was in the wrong section, and I was then rehomed between two amazing people who had been awarded British Empire medals for work during Covid. On each occasion, though, I was batting for IfATE, explaining what we did and why we’d been invited. It was a great opportunity to talk about the great work we do and how apprenticeships and technical education have grown and evolved.
I had thought that a two-hour sit would really drag, but there was beautiful music playing, we were all chatting and spotting well-known faces. Emma Thompson was in my row, opposite were Ant and Dec, and at one point I had a great view of Lionel Ritchie!
I was about five rows back from the main aisle, so I got a great view of a selection of Royals’, various UK Prime Ministers, the foreign heads of state, and lots of beautiful ceremonial outfits.
I was sitting behind the tallest man in the Abbey, so when the King and Queen came in and we all had to stand I didn’t get a good view. When the service itself began, screens in the nave gave us all a great close up of the ceremony itself. Being in the Abbey and hearing the service and the beautiful music first-hand really was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Being able to represent IfATE and the work we do was a really proud moment.
I was half way home on the train before I finally thought I’d better take my hat off!
Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of IfATE
]]>Koli Begum completed an apprenticeship with the Go Ahead Group in June 2021, before going on to become a driver and apprentice mentor in the organisation.
Hear from her about her experience on the level 2 passenger transport driver - bus, coach and tram apprenticeship standard, and her career journey so far.
The apprenticeship programme gave me access to re-join the workforce with on-the-job training alongside an educational programme, helping me to gain employment.
This was my first full-time employment after being a caregiver for 12 years for my beautiful son who is disabled, and I was apprehensive about returning to work. I was ecstatic when I was offered the bus driving job. I really enjoyed driving all over London - I felt like a tourist in my home town!
The apprenticeship route allowed me to take up my role as a bus driver immediately. It gave me a practical approach to learning and allowed me to earn a living whilst gaining a qualification. A benefit of being an apprentice is that it gives you invaluable hands-on experience from professionals.
The apprenticeship programme is designed to support you in every way to maximise your potential, keeping you upskilled and up-to-date with changes taking place in the company. I could not have done it without the support of my mentors, assessors, training school team, and managers.
When I was asked to become a mentor after completing my apprenticeship, I was very proud that I could provide support and training to other bus drivers. I did not think my managers would consider me to join their mentoring team. Your employers see you as their next team leaders, managers, creators and inventors. You are part of their company and developing you is part of their growth, too.
I am currently part of a woman’s steering group for bus and coach networks initiated by Transport For London to encourage more woman to join the industry and how better to support them.
I started my apprenticeship during the pandemic and at the height of it, I saw how instrumental public transport had become. This gave me an insight and made me realise how vital the transport system is and what it meant to me. I hope to remain in the transport industry and be at the heart of any communities that we serve by meeting their diverse and ever changing needs.
Taking the apprenticeship route made me see I can pursue a long-term career in an essential industry.
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