Introduce apprenticeship grades, urges IAC 26 July 2013

Grading should be introduced for apprenticeships, the Industry Apprentice Council (IAC) has told government's apprenticeships team at DBIS (the Department for Business Innovation and Skills).

The IAC, which was launched and funded by industry qualifying organisation EAL and IMI Awards, the awarding body for the retail motor industry, in equal partnership, met with representatives from DBIS following an invitation from Skills Minister Matthew Hancock MP.

At the meeting, to discuss the proposals in the Richard Review, the IAC argued that the vocational pathway needs to be altered to compete with the academic route, with continuous assessment throughout, as well as a grading scale similar to that used in higher education.

"We would prefer continual assessment throughout an apprenticeship, and those assessments should be used to form a final grade, so you can differentiate between someone that has worked really hard and someone that has just plodded along," explains IAC member Hal Willis.

"If we're trying to promote apprenticeships on the same level as a degree then we should introduce grading similar to that used in higher education," adds IAC member Ashley Amatt, the latest member to join the group:

IAC comprises 14 apprentices aged 18 to 24 years old, from companies including Airbus, BAE Systems, Caunton Engineering, DAF Trucks, Ford Dealerships, Ford GB, KMF, MBDA, National Grid, Nestlé, Rolls-Royce and Vauxhall.

Brian Tinham

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Department for Business Innovation & Skills

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