Trailblazer Apprenticeships are the new standards which are designed in collaboration with groups of employers; they are all about on-the-job training which really meets the needs of the particular occupation.
David Swinscoe, the Director of the Centre for Applied Sciences at City and Islington College, sheds some light on the new Trailblazer Apprenticeships.
There are different subject areas for Trailblazer Apprenticeships, we’ve begun using the new qualifications for the Laboratory and Science Technician Apprenticeships.
Our previous model required students to take an NVQ plus a BTEC Level 3 science qualification. With the Trailblazer model, students still do the BTEC. However, instead of the NVQ, the competence bit is assessed at the end by an awarding body. This means we need to prepare students for an end-point assessment, so we make sure that the skills are developed effectively as they progress through the apprenticeship.
“It’s really good to see all the apprentices making progress and getting the recognition they deserve.”
There’s much more employer involvement in these new qualifications. The apprentices are working in technical roles in a wide variety of contexts – some are science technicians in schools, colleges and universities, some are working in research laboratories or pharmaceutical companies, there’s even a technician from the jewellery quarter in Hatton Garden. As they are all from different working backgrounds, this gives them the chance to come together; it works well.
We put all the apprentices on the professional register and they become Registered Science Technicians (RSciTech) on completion of their apprenticeships. It gives them recognition of their professional role and of course, we know it’s important to raise the profile of the work technicians do in the UK as there’s a skills shortage in that area. It’s really good to see all the apprentices making progress and getting the recognition they deserve.
Dave Martin, course leader and tutor on the Trailblazer, gives further insight:
The lack of structure in the creation of portfolios of work for the new qualifications has been a challenge for us. The end-point assessment involves these students being observed in the workplace for about half a day. They are assessed for competence in scientific skills, but of course, they can’t demonstrate the full range of the skills required in that time. What they don’t demonstrate will be brought up in a professional discussion.
I’m visiting students in the workplace and helping them to build portfolios – the portfolios can’t be formally assessed, but they can act as reminders for them when they have professional discussions and trigger them into talking about their skills. We’re using a work-based learning guide to help in building these portfolios and collecting evidence that would be useful in gaining their RSciTech and working with the students’ employers to develop confidence in talking about their role for the end-point assessment.
"We are working with some brilliant employers working right at the cutting edge of science, and the students are really enthusiastic about that."
There is no doubt that there is a lot of work and preparation involved in the delivery of these new qualifications – working with employers is essential in allowing the apprentices to get the most out of their experience. The employers choose which parts of the BTEC Science qualification they would like us to deliver.
We are working with some brilliant employers working right at the cutting edge of science, and the students are really enthusiastic about that. There is work going on in fermenting plants, making plates to grow bacteria on, growing cells, it’s fantastic.
We’re working with the Francis Crick Institute – that’s the biggest biomedical research facility under a single roof in Europe. These are young people from our local schools and they love their jobs and study. They are walking around with whacking great smiles on their faces – that’s what makes it worth it.
Find out more
In May 2018, we will be hosting a STEM apprentice and technical career conference. Designed to celebrate and inspire STEM apprentices and technicians, this conference will allow professionals to share their knowledge and experience of careers in the technical profession.