1. Can you have apprenticeship without a concept of occupation? Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin Warwick ESRC Seminar Series September 18 th 2013

2. Occupational Expertise Apprenticeship as a model of learning for occupational identity and expertise Importance of clear concept of what apprentice is learning to become Importance of clear concept of occupation 2

3. Changing relationship between occupation and apprenticeship Historically strong alignment between apprenticeship and occupation Link between this alignment and production of intermediate level workforce Changing industrial and occupational structure associated with decline in apprenticeship/intermediate skills Introduction of government-supported Modern Apprenticeship in 1994 reflected and reinforced diluted relationship 3

4. Government-Supported Apprenticeship Wrapper for mandatory outcomes – specified as qualifications in a framework Approx. 170 frameworks – 1500+ ‘job roles’ Continuity with past in some sectors, under- developed connections in others, particularly some service sectors Term ‘occupation’ largely absent or used interchangeably with job, trade, craft. 4

5. You can use Apprenticeships to train both new and existing employees who are moving into a new or changed job role and need to learn new skills… Depending on the sector and job role an Apprenticeship can take anything between one and four years to complete. It is a package of on- the-job training and qualifications. (NAS website) 5

6. Apprenticeship, occupation and innovation Strong concept of occupation integral to expansive apprenticeship Strong concept of occupation likely to support ability to innovate Decoupling apprenticeship and occupation problematic Illustration from recent research in healthcare 6

7. ‘The occupational attitude’ “While one can argue, with Marx, that one’s social experience determines one’s consciousness, a major component of that social experience is the specific things one does in one’s occupational and professional practice. This includes the peculiar quality of the social relations involved in the practice...it includes the nature of the materials which which an occupation works...Occupation as craft creates, for any particular occupation, an attitude which is unique.” (Bensman and Lilienfield 1991, Craft and Consciousness )

8. Dental Technicians Long-standing apprenticeship (‘dental mechanics’) Statutory register/protected occupational title 2006 held by General Dental Council 3 entry routes – at least two years FTE study plus work placement: Level 3 diploma; Level 5 Foundation Degree; BSc Dental Technology

9. Occupational identity and expertise “If you’re working out how a denture fits...it’s very complex mechanical...I don’t know how to describe it...processes that you have to have a knowledge of; it’s not just crafting the wax into the shape of the gums...so there’s a big technical aspect to it...it is anatomy, it’s science, and it’s technology. So I think the term ‘dental technician’, yeah, I think it’s an appropriate term.” (employee)

10. Midwifery an all graduate profession - split between qualified/registered midwives and clinical support staff Inconsistent terminology applied to maternity support eg HSW, auxilliaries, maternity/neo-natal support worker Slow development of recognised intermediate role despite concerns about devolution of tasks Concept of occupation in apprenticeship for this non- standardised role unclear Maternity Support

11. Relationship between occupation and apprenticeship Requires development of shared definition of occupation (standardisation) linked to model of learning and formal recognition Strengthens individual’s labour market position and provides enhanced occupational identity, expertise and status for individual – platform for progression Creates pool of occupational expertise – benefit to employers and economy 11