What do new apprentice- ship rules mean for the drug and alcohol sector? Kate Halliday explains
Training
All the news, features and jobs: www. drinkanddrugsnews. com
Stepping up
What do new apprentice- ship rules mean for the drug and alcohol sector? Kate Halliday explains
From April 2017 all employers in England with a salary bill of more than £ 3m have been required by the government to pay an‘ apprenticeship levy’ amounting to 0.5 per cent of their payroll. That’ s a lot of money – 2.3bn annually for all employers in the UK. Employers are allowed to recoup or‘ draw down’ this money by putting their employees through apprenticeship courses.
So what does this mean for the drug and alcohol sector? In February this year SMMGP took over the membership and accreditation function of FDAP( the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Practitioners, formerly the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals) and we have been picking up some understandable confusion from providers surrounding the apprenticeship agenda. Here are a few common misconceptions: 1. You have to employ apprentices to draw down on the money paid into the apprenticeship levy. This is not the case. Existing staff or volunteers who are not apprentices can access apprenticeship courses to enhance their qualifications, up to degree level. In fact it is predicted that the majority of funds will be used on training the existing workforce.
2. You have to draw down money you have paid into the levy within a year or you lose it. This is not the case – you have two years from initial payment to do this.
3. I’ m a small employer so the apprenticeship agenda does not apply to me. This is not the case. There are generous incentives( up to 100 per cent of course fees covered) for smaller employers putting employees and volunteers through courses.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Currently drug and alcohol service providers who are using the levy are choosing existing courses in nonsector specific qualifications( for example in management or generic counselling skills qualifications) as there is no specific apprenticeship qualification for people working in the drug and alcohol sector. But there are only so many staff for whom non-sector-specific qualifications are appropriate and many employers fear they will not be able to use the levy to upskill staff across the organisation. However, this may be about to change. In July a‘ trailblazer’ meeting is being held by employers in the field, which could mark the beginning of a sector-specific qualification.
There is an opportunity to set the educational standard... at a higher level than is currently the case, and provide consistency throughout services.
Apprenticeship qualifications must be based upon a job role or title. Two possible suggestions for the field are drug and alcohol treatment worker and drug and alcohol treatment manager. The trailblazer group will be tasked with producing a standard for the job role / s identified, and this will need to capture evidence in three areas: knowledge, competency and behaviours.
The trailblazer process opens up the opportunity to set a consistent standard, agreed by employers, for job roles within the sector – something that has been missing until now. This has the potential to provide consistency for employers, commissioners, the workforce and users of services. It is likely to involve the reassessment of DANOS standards( widely seen as appropriate for the field but perhaps in need of some updating) and will require agreement on the level of educational attainment required to carry out the job – something that has not been consistent throughout the field. Once the standard is set, educational providers can develop courses to meet the needs identified in the standard. This could happen relatively quickly( within a year) allowing employers to begin to draw down on the money paid in over the current year.
There are some challenges: anyone studying for apprenticeship qualifications will be required to spend 20 per cent of their time studying. At a time when providers are being asked to provide‘ more for less’ there are concerns that this could place strain on service delivery. And while everyone wants to have the best possibly educated workforce, there are concerns about the financial envelopes commissioners are providing for service delivery and whether wellqualified staff can be appropriately remunerated. The potential benefits of apprenticeships are numerous. They offer real opportunities for career progression and improved staff retention: volunteers, often people in recovery, can move from unpaid positions into employment supported by qualifications and in-work experience. People already working in the field can obtain qualifications that can support their current work and could lead to promotion. There is an opportunity to set the educational standard for those working in the field at a higher level than is currently the case, and provide consistency throughout services. And a workforce that is better trained will provide a better service for those in treatment.
Kate Halliday is FDAP interim executive director
For more information on apprenticeships including the trailblazer process watch a recording of FDAP’ s webinar at https:// youtu. be / 6S3ob6HNBJg
Are you an employer who would like to be involved in the trailblazing process? Contact Kate at fdap @ smmgp. org. uk
18 | drinkanddrugsnews | July / August 2017 www. drinkanddrugsnews. com