Apprenticeship plan for schools

Most teaching assistants already train while working

Ministers say they want schools in England to take on apprentices in the role of teaching assistants.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls says he wants to see 4,000 young people taking up the role next year.

The National Union of Teachers has dismissed the plan as an "ill thought out idea".

The announcement came as ministers briefed MPs about the effect of the economic downturn, insisting building programmes were going ahead.

Mr Balls told MPs on the Commons children, schools and families committee the public sector needed to "raise its game" and take on more apprentices.

He said the private sector took on most apprentices. There would be 35,000 extra available from April and he wanted 20,000 of them to come from the public sector.

"The truth is public sector take-up of apprentices, with the exception of the Ministry of Defence, is poor," he said.

There is plenty of scope for work experience in schools but not apprenticeships Christine Blower, NUT

"If the MoD can take on apprentices I can't see why we can't have young people becoming apprentice teaching assistants or in the NHS, orderly nurses."

The Westminster government is committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships as a way of boosting people's skills and helping to create employment during the economic downturn.

Such a move could see 16-year-olds being taken on to work in the classroom, something the National Union of Teachers is against.

Acting general secretary Christine Blower said: "The idea that anyone can do the job of assisting in classrooms is hardly one that will endear Ed Balls to teaching assistants, never mind teachers.

"We want young people to stay in education for as long as possible. Offering apprenticeships in schools to pupils who finished their education early sends out entirely the wrong message.

"This is an ill thought out idea; there is plenty of scope for work experience in schools but not apprenticeships."

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, was more positive.

"Public services are among the largest employers in the country. It is right that they play their part in providing opportunities for apprenticeships.

"The initiative for teaching assistant apprenticeships is a good one."

No age gap

After the committee meeting, Mr Balls told journalists the apprenticeships would be beneficial to young people who knew they wanted to "go down the route of childcare, schools, health or further education".

We would want to see apprentices working in school offices, in the grounds and in school kitchens Jim Knight, Schools Minister

Schools Minister Jim Knight accepted it might not be appropriate for apprentices to be working in sixth-forms, where they would be of similar age to the students.

"Apprenticeships in secondary schools are something that should be encouraged. These teaching assistants working in the sixth form could be very difficult but we would want to see apprentices working in school offices, in the grounds and in school kitchens."

He added: "You could have teaching assistants working perhaps with Key Stage 3 rather than Key Stage 5."

Prestige

Shadow Children's Secretary Michael Gove said: "The highest performing countries for educational performance are those where teachers are valued most highly and are of the best quality.

"Just at a time when we need to be raising the qualifications and prestige of the teaching profession so we can compete in the future, Ed Balls suggests having sixteen year olds teaching classrooms of fourteen year olds."

At the committee meeting, Mr Balls and Mr Knight also answered concerns from MPs about the effects of the recession on school and college building programmes.

Mr Balls insisted new deals were being done with financiers of building projects and that it would be "economically illiterate" to slow down.

The focus was on small and medium projects, which had strong chances of boosting local economies, ministers told MPs.

New lenders

Members of the schools committee reported projects being stalled despite government commitments to bring forward capital spending.

They also said apprentices were losing their jobs in the downturn.

Mr Balls told them: "Capital markets are going through a very, very severe period where all lenders are re-assessing the kind of market activity they can take on.

"Some of our school partners in PFI (Private Finance Initiative) are thinking about the kind of finance they are willing to offer in a different way.

"If we do this sensibly, we believe we can continue to keep expanding the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme and we are confident that if we get this right we can can keep the flow of capital investment coming through."

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