Factors affecting Modern Apprenticeship completion in Scotland

Abstract

Completing an apprenticeship has been shown to be critical to an individual’s future employment, earnings and career development when compared with apprentices who do not complete. International research, notably in England, Australia and Germany, has identified factors specific to the apprentice, employer and training provision that are associated with a higher chance of completion. However, to date, there has been no comparable research in Scotland, which operates its own distinct and well‐established apprenticeship system. Based on the factors identified in other countries, logistic regression was conducted on records of apprenticeship leavers in Scotland, covering the period from 2007 to 2015. Data for a total of 78,952 leavers were analysed, consisting of 59,737 completers and 19,215 non‐completers. It was found that women are more likely to complete an apprenticeship than men, while those from deprived areas are less likely to complete. Apprentices employed by a large employer, those receiving training from public sector organizations and those studying for selected technical subjects are more likely to complete, as are apprentices living in an area with a high local unemployment rate. The paper considers the reasons why some apprentices are more likely to complete than others and discusses the implications for apprenticeship policy in Scotland and beyond.

Strategies for improving construction craftspeople apprenticeship training programme: Evidence from the UK

“…Given the desire to the increase participation of under-represented groups in the construction sector, there is a need to develop strategies for improving the completion rates of apprenticeship among minorities. (Berik and Bilginsoy, 2000;Berik et al, 2011;Bilginsoy, 2018;Donkor, 2012;Filliettaz, 2010;Fries et al, 2014;Gambin and Hogarth, 2016;Greig, 2019;Snell and Hart, 2008;Stromback and Mahendran, 2010). The outcomes of previous research show that a host of factors affect completion rates of apprenticeship programmes for craftspeople.…”

“…The outcome of such investigations tend to vary or agree in some instances. Greig (2019) found that a high local unemployment rate leads to an improvement in completion rates in Scotland. In contrast, Bilginsoy (2018) demonstrated that the non-completion rate and unemployment rate have a positive relationship in the US.…”

The apprentice experience: the role of interpersonal attributes and people-related generic skills

“…(Bednarz and Bednarz, 2014;Loveder, 2015;Mitchell et al, 2015). Greig (2019) suggests that different circumstances related to the apprentice, their employer, the training they receive and the wider labour market context have a significant impact on the chances of completion (Greig (2019), p. 45). Other aspects include apprentice pay, support from the employer, recognition and quality of on-the-job training (Smyth and Zimba, 2019;Hart and Snell, 2007;Dow et al, 2011;as cited in Boys, 2015).…”

Putting the individual and context back into national human resource development research: A systematic review and research agenda

“…First, scholars investigating NHRD have focused on a diverse set of policy interventions, including: education in response to NHRD gaps (Gedro & Hartman, 2015); the contribution of modern apprenticeships to national skill development (Greig, 2019); and the role of trade unions in impacting the implementation of skills policies (Kambayashi & Kato, 2020). However, we lack an understanding of the common characteristics of these policy interventions, the role of context in influencing them and their outcomes.…”