Your guide to trailblazer apprenticeships

Trailblazer apprenticeships in England have been around since 2013, and they are gradually becoming more well-known, especially as construction apprenticeships. But what is a trailblazer apprenticeship, how do they benefit apprentices and employers, and how do you find a trailblazer construction apprenticeship?

What are Trailblazer's apprenticeships?

Trailblazer apprenticeships are an innovative approach to work-based training, involving more expert input from employers and a more structured method of assessment. They are only currently offered in England and will eventually replace the standard apprenticeship system.

Trailblazer apprenticeships set new skill and assessment standards for apprenticeships to ensure they maintain their standing as high quality and relevant vocational qualifications. Within construction, apprenticeships are viewed as an excellent vocational route to employment, offering plenty of on-the-job experience while providing classroom learning for 20% of an apprentice’s time, and the trailblazer programme will build upon this reputation.

Employer-led design

Trailblazer apprenticeships are apprenticeship standards that are designed by a group of employers, called ‘trailblazer groups’. In these groups, there must be at least 10 different organisations represented, and two have to be small employers with less than 50 staff. By collaborating with each other, the trailblazer groups of employers ensure that the skills the apprentice will learn will be highly relevant to the particular demands of their trade, profession or industry.

Apprenticeship standards & assessment

Employers know what skills they are looking for in apprentices, so are best suited to write the ‘standard’ for the apprenticeship. This ‘standard’ is like a job description, setting out what is expected and needed from the apprenticeship programme. Read an example of a trailblazer standard.

Trailblazer apprenticeships have endpoint assessments (EPAs), also designed by the trailblazer group of employers. An EPA assesses apprentices at the end of their programme of training against the skills, knowledge and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standards. The EPA has a grading system of Distinction, Merit, Pass or Fail. This makes apprenticeships consistent with other forms of learning assessment, such as NVQs.

The end-point assessment is usually carried out by the college or training provider that delivered the classroom training part of the apprenticeship, and could involve:

• A practical assessment
• An interview
• A project
• Written and/or multiple-choice tests
• A presentation

Knowledge, skills and behaviours

The groups of employers that develop the trailblazer standards work together to identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) required for competency in each role. Being employer-led will mean that everything learned by the apprentice will benefit the learner, employer, construction industry and ultimately the economy as a whole. These KSBs underlie each trailblazer apprentice standard and can be updated if the needs of the employer or workplace change.  

Benefits for employers

The main advantage for employers about trailblazer apprenticeships is that they have control over what an apprentice is going to be learning, and so they can be sure that an apprentice is ready to do the job they have been trained for. As large employers in England pay an apprenticeship levy to help fund apprenticeship schemes, they get more value for money from their investment.

Benefits for apprentices

Aside from the general benefits of apprenticeships – the ability to earn a salary while you learn, and getting on-the-job training – trailblazer apprentices benefit most from the fact that the skills they are developing have been specified by employers in their trade or profession. They could not be more relevant to the job that the apprentice hopes to do.

Trailblazer construction apprenticeships

Many trades in construction already have trailblazer apprenticeship programmes. For some careers there is a combination of core knowledge and skills and options for apprentices to choose, depending on the area of a trade in which they want to specialise. Here are some examples:

Roofer

Roofers are always going to be in high demand, and the Level 2 apprenticeship in roofing provides specific programmes for different types of roofing specialisms, including roof slating and tiling, waterproof membrane installation or roof sheeting and cladding.

Plasterer

Plastering is a vital trade in the construction industry, and the trailblazer apprenticeship programme fully prepares apprentice plasterers for work in both the new build and the refurbishment sectors. The plastering apprenticeship standard sets out specific requirements in knowledge, skills and behaviours for fibrous and solid plastering.

Quantity surveyor

Quantity surveyors estimate the costs of building projects and are highly sought after. To qualify as a quantity surveyor, you will need a degree in quantity surveying or a degree apprenticeship. Degree apprenticeships in quantity surveying will include the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to achieve chartered status with RICS, the professional body for quantity surveying.

Floor layer

Commercial floorlayers are trained in subfloor preparation and installing a range of floor coverings on commercial and residential sites. The trailblazer apprenticeship includes options for textile and resilient floor layers and wood floor layers and usually takes 30 months to complete.

Architect

Architecture apprenticeships are effective degree apprenticeships because they include the RIBA Part 1, 2 and 3 qualifications which architecture undergraduates must complete. The trailblazer architecture apprenticeship standard includes Parts 2 and 3, with Part 1 usually having been completed as part of an Architectural Assistant apprenticeship.

Other trailblazer construction opportunities

There is a wide range of trailblazer apprenticeship opportunities in the construction industry, with plenty of others in development, including:

• Stonemasonry
• Bricklaying
• Construction Plant Operative
• Demolition Operative
• Property Maintenance

Trailblazer apprenticeship eligibility

To be eligible for a trailblazer apprenticeship, you just need to be aged over 16, resident in England and not be in full-time education. The qualifications required for entry onto trailblazer apprenticeships will vary, according to the level of the apprenticeship. You will usually need several GCSEs at grades 9-3, with most employers asking for English and Maths as a minimum. But some apprenticeships may not require any formal qualifications.

Apprenticeship success stories

Read more from people who have built a career in construction after their apprenticeship:

• Tom Glover, CAD engineer
• Grace Elizabeth, stonemason
• Ver-se Abudar, graduate apprentice engineer