Constructing apprenticeships by transforming through sharing

As a result of a general dissatisfaction among construction industry employers with the current apprenticeship training in the UK a local training group, in collaboration with a further education provider and the Sector Skills Council for construction, developed an innovative training scheme. The claim of the Shared Apprenticeship scheme was to transform the learning experiences of construction apprentices by accentuating their craft skills development, broadening their vocational knowledge and sharing their on-site experiences through a consortium of employers. Whilst this three year, partly European funded, project is operated by the local construction training group it is managed by ConstructionSkills with the local FE college providing the underpinning skills development and extended knowledge. The project is noteworthy not least because it involves significant public funds and numbers of apprentices but it also attracts global attention from decision formers delivering similar programmes. This study explores the reasons for the Shared Apprenticeship project and considers similar schemes through literature review and interviews with stakeholders. Not everyone views this project as innovative or shares the optimisms anticipated by the creators of the scheme and in this context the study especially scrutinises expectations and limitations