Leading staircase and door manufacturer Stairways Midlands has paused its apprenticeship programme after two decades, following proposed government reforms that industry leaders warn will “spell disaster”.
The reforms to apprenticeship assessment plans developed by Skills England include slashing the duration of carpentry and joinery apprenticeships from 25 months to around eight months
They would also alter the end-point assessment, allowing assessment organisations to “sample” only a portion of the knowledge, skills and behaviours criteria to determine an apprentice’s competence, rather than requiring them to demonstrate they meet all of them – a shift that industry leaders have warned will lead to inconsistency, erode confidence, and create a “race to the bottom” in training quality.
Skills England is currently running test pilots across five apprenticeship standards – including the Carpentry and Joinery Apprenticeship, which is now on hold following an industry backlash.
Stairways Midlands, which operates three Midlands-based factory units, with over 85,000 sq ft of production capacity, was, until recently, in a successful partnership with Walsall College training Level 2 Bench Carpentry and Joinery Apprentices every year.
But given the proposed changes to how this apprenticeship programme works, and the uncertainty surrounding them, Karen Wood, Joint Managing Director at Stairways Midlands, said the company had “no choice” but to withdraw the offer of apprenticeship placements this year.
Karen, who as a Go Construct STEM Ambassador has committed to attracting talented young people into the sector, said:
“Apprenticeships have always been a cornerstone of our business and a vital pipeline for skilled talent. We’ve proudly trained dozens of apprentices over the years – including several who have gone into management roles here – but under these new proposals, the model is simply not fit for purpose.
“Reducing training time to just eight months and removing thorough independent assessment shows a fundamental lack of appreciation for the range of skills and depth of knowledge it takes to do this work, and will set the industry back years.
“We’ve had no choice but to pause our apprenticeship intake for the first time in more than two decades. It’s deeply frustrating, but we cannot in good conscience support a reformed system that seems to prioritise speed and cost over competence and safety.”
The British Woodworking Federation (BWF), which represents the woodworking and joinery manufacturing sector and sits on the Level 2 Carpentry and Joinery Apprenticeship Trailblazer group, spoke out after its feedback was “ignored” at “every stage.”
The BWF has spearheaded an industry response, bringing together a coalition of 23 organisations that have written to the Prime Minister calling for an immediate suspension of the plans.
In their letter, the coalition warns that the proposed “government-led changes… will spell disaster for the construction industry and undermine the Government’s ambition to generate economic growth.”
Adds Karen:
“We need properly trained, competent people entering our industry. Short-term policy decisions like this not only devalue the hard work of apprentices and trainers but undermine the culture of safety and excellence that the construction sector has worked so hard to build.”
As part of the BWF membership, Stairways is adding its voice to the growing coalition urging the Government to halt the reforms and re-engage with industry trailblazer groups to develop a model that reflects the realities of hands-on, safety-critical trades.
Karen adds:
“The BWF has been clear that the reforms as they stand are not supported by the industry. We stand with them and others in calling for a rethink that puts quality, competence and safety first.”
To find out more on Stairways, visit: https://stairways.co.uk/
