NEW YEAR, NEW RECRUITS? #SalonSmart19
Apprenticeships in crisis? Finding and recruiting apprentices has become very tough indeed
In an NHF survey carried out in June 2017, 39 per cent of hairdressing, barbering and beauty employers were finding it ‘difficult’ to recruit apprentices in their area – 33 per cent said it was ‘very difficult’. The situation has since deteriorated. Recent statistics, buried quietly in a government press release, showed that the number of people starting apprenticeships declined sharply over the past year.
For salon owners, who continue to face near-record recruitment difficulties and skills shortages, this is a huge worry. The same goes for individuals seeking to start or further develop their career prospects, who fear being trapped on the endless merry-go-round of government training reforms.
Employers and training providers are only just getting to work with and adapt to the new standards and recent changes to apprenticeship funding, and now the funding regime will be changing yet again
More bad news: in May 2018 the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) announced that it would be reviewing the funding bands for 31 standards, including the hair professional apprenticeship standards, at the request of the Department for Education.
The hair professional Trailblazer steering group, who had spent years creating the new Trailblazer standards introduced just 12 months earlier, responded by providing a comprehensive rationale, backed up by quotes from providers, recommending an increase to the funding band because of the additional costs required to deliver a qualification which is higher than the old level two framework apprenticeships plus a demanding end-point assessment.
The rationale was rejected by the IFA, who have now formally confirmed the outcome of the funding review – a reduction of more than 20 per cent from £9,000 to £7,000. The changes still have to be confirmed by the Secretary of State, but as there is no further right of appeal this is expected to be a formality. Once approval is confirmed there will be two months’ notice before the funding decreases take effect for new starters.
The Ofsted inspection regime grades training organisations on many aspects of provision, where ‘outstanding’ is what providers are striving for. This cannot be achieved with continual changes in the funding mechanisms
Said Wendy Cummins, chair of the hair professional steering group: “I am totally shocked by the decision to cut the funding bands. The Government’s aim was to have a flagship apprenticeship programme which cannot be achieved if there is insufficient funding. The hair professional standards took two years for employers to develop, with constant policy changes which were both frustrating and time-consuming. Just as the industry is adopting the new style standards, this blow falls.”
Says Andrew Collinge, owner of the Andrew Collinge salon and training Academy: “Employers and training providers are only just getting to work with and adapt to the new standards and recent changes to apprenticeship funding, and now the funding regime will be changing yet again. This will have a negative effect on hairdressing training and the industry for the future.”
Says Millie Kendall MBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council: “The Ofsted inspection regime grades training organisations on many aspects of provision, where ‘outstanding’ is what providers are striving for. This cannot be achieved with continual changes in the funding mechanisms and the reduction in rates paid for an apprenticeship. Many training providers have shut up shop over the past few years, as what is required of them in terms of quality and how to deliver it, just cannot be achieved unless the rates of funding equate to the quality that is demanded of them.”
Increasing competition from other employers, coupled with a shortage of people looking for work, is creating a recruitment crisis across the UK for our industry
Yet despite the difficulties in recruitment, employers still slate college-based training courses because they don’t equip college leavers with the technical and social skills employers need. For this reason, a whopping 97% of employers questioned in the 2017 NHF survey preferred apprenticeships. Employers were also worried that schools and parents encourage learners to stay on at school or go to college rather than going into an apprenticeship, even though, in our sector, apprenticeships are far more likely to lead to employment.
Is the industry itself at least partly to blame for the recruitment crisis? In 2016, the Low Pay Commission identified hairdressing as the industry with the highest proportion of low-paid jobs, followed by childcare, hospitality and cleaning. Employers taking part in the NHF survey acknowledged that hairdressing, barbering and beauty are seen as low pay industries (16 per cent) and that they are all too often seen as ‘dead-end’ career choices (eight per cent).
Says NHF chief executive Hilary Hall: “Wages are already increasing rapidly due to the National Living Wage, but employers may have no option but to pay more if they want to attract the right people into their business and keep them there. Increasing competition from other employers, coupled with a shortage of people looking for work, is creating a recruitment crisis across the UK for our industry.”
Are you finding it hard to find and train apprentices? Join in the Great Debate at 4.45pm on Monday 25 March at Salon Smart as we hear from salon owners and educators coping with the changes surrounding the apprenticeship programme. This is an area that affects everyone, so make sure you don’t miss out on this important opportunity to hear about others’ experiences and to make your own voice heard.
16:45, Monday 25 March – THE GREAT DEBATE: THE APPRENTICE – HIRED OR FIRED?
Get the full Salon Smart experience with a Weekend Pass (£295 plus VAT), which includes overnight accommodation, breakfast AND a three-course dinner with wine. A Monday Pass (£100 plus VAT) is for the Monday business programme only.