Army apprenticeships impress Ofsted
Ofsted has graded the British Army apprenticeship programme as Good, with the hospitality and catering element being graded as Outstanding.
![Craftsmen apprentices from the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering (stock image) [Picture: Crown copyright]](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/image_data/file/9060/s300_18Mb_IMG_0081g.jpg)
Army apprentices (stock image)
The overall Good grade, gained following a recent inspection, is a significant improvement on the Satisfactory grade awarded in 2009.
Ofsted - the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills - graded the programme as Good based on the following aspects:
- outcomes for learners
- quality of teaching, learning and assessment
- effectiveness of leadership and management
With an annual value of £27 million, the Army apprenticeship programme is the largest UK employer of apprentices.
Around 95% of soldiers enrol on a trade-related apprenticeship during phase 2 training and continue their programme into the Field Army. At any time, there are more than 15,000 soldiers enrolled on an apprenticeship, with a 90% achievement rate.
The 43 apprenticeship qualifications focus on information and communications technology (ICT) and engineering and logistics, and there is a bespoke apprenticeship for combat infantrymen, along with smaller programmes such as catering and animal care.
Each year, more than 8,000 soldiers gain an intermediate apprenticeship (level 2 is equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades A to C) or an advanced apprenticeship (level 3 is equivalent to A-level). More than 80% of soldiers will achieve the entry standard for junior non-commissioned officer command leadership management through their apprenticeship.
Read more about Army apprenticeships
Apprenticeship qualifications are trade-related and have 3 elements:
- a technical certificate which builds upon phase 2 trade training (underpinning theoretical understanding)
- a national vocational qualification through assessment of competence in the workplace
- functional skills in maths, English and, in some programmes, ICT