TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES
PROPOSAL FOR CONTINUATION OF APPRENTICE TRAINING WITHIN
TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES
Purpose
To provide on-going technician apprentice training within Operational Services in the following trade disciplines:
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Motor Vehicle Engineering
- Carpentry
- Parks and Gardens – Grounds Technician
- Parks and Gardens – Gardener
Background
Until the late 1990’s States Human Resources operated and funded the States’ Apprenticeship Scheme but due to budget constraints this scheme ceased in 2000. A similar scheme was re-started and funded by TTS in 2005.
In 2009 as part of the Economic Stimulus initiative, EDD funded the first 3 years of the 4 year placements for:
3 x Electrical apprentices
2 x Mechanical apprentices
2 x Parks and Gardens apprentices (3 yr training requirement only)
3 x Vehicle apprentices were also taken on but fully funded by JFM
Discussion
The Department has consistently had difficulty in recruiting skilled and experienced staff to these trades as our requirements are more specialised than other local employers and the Island lacks an industrial engineering employment culture.
Within Operational Services there exists ample scope, experience, and goodwill to continue this training. On a local political level there is understandable pressure for States departments to provide paid training opportunities to local school leavers, many of whom would meet our normal selection criteria.
Scheme principles
It is proposed to continue with the principles of the current scheme which in-turn fits into the EDD managed Jersey Apprenticeship Scheme: -
- 4 year (3 in the case of Park and Gardens apprentices) indentured apprenticeship combining work experience and day/block release training (Highlands) on appropriate courses or distance learning.
- Apprenticeship scheme to follow the EDD existing “Jersey Apprenticeship Scheme” plan and will be eligible for employers training grant aid for ‘day release’.
- No guarantee of a permanent post at the end of the apprenticeship.
- Pay scales and employment terms and conditions in line with existing Manual Worker Joint Council agreements.
- Possible short-term placements in other complementary States and/or Private-Sector organisations.
Succession Planning
In terms of the current apprentices, they are now completing the second year of their training and the employing sections are well placed to start training a new intake. It is generally believed that in sections of our size one apprentice taken on every other year allows the section to provide the training required by the available number of skilled technicians. The EDD scheme of 2009 encouraged us to take a higher number than we would have liked at one time, however the funding and political pressure at the time dictated this.
Although the age profile of the sections involved does not show staff in the 61+ band, the advent of early retirement and general staff movements mean we still need to train for the future, even if apprentices leave TTS and then seek re-employment later on in their career. All areas have staff in the 55+ age group.
The trade of carpentry has been added to those recently covered. Although in PSd days this trade was planned to be replaced by use of the private sector on the retirement of existing staff, the amalgamation of Jersey Harbours technicians brought with it an increased responsibility for carpentry work, some of which includes heritage work and offshore working requirements. The promotion of the carpentry chargehand to Leading Chargehand Infrastructure Maintenance some time ago also reduced the hands-on labour resource in this trade, as does the recent move to more flexible working practices that result in staff being used in key areas other than their main trade (e.g. B.A. maintenance, dive team).
At the same time the Site Services section based at Bellozanne has an increasing workload involving some carpentry work maintaining Pumping Stations as well as assets at Bellozanne. Section management believe that in addition to being able to provide high quality training in the trade, the Department would benefit from the additional resource and avoid some costs incurred by the use of contractors.
Funding
Motor Vehicle - The vehicle workshop is funded by the JFM trading account, and as such is self-financing and not directly linked to the Department’s revenue budgets. In the first year there is limited justification for re-charge of apprentice time, but this should increasingly happen in years 2, 3 and 4.
Mechanical, Electrical & Carpentry - These workshop staff costs are funded from the departmental revenue budget. Same comments on re-chargeable work as for JFM.
Parks and Gardens Apprentices – These two posts are required to be fully funded through section revenue budgets as there is little opportunity for re-chargeable work in these areas.
When appropriate TTS apprentice hourly charge-out rates for 2011 are as follows:
Apprentice charge-out rates: Carpentry, Parks Vehicle, Mechanical & Electrical
1st year £10.00 £10.50
2nd year £13.00 £13.58
3rd year £16.00 £16.66
4th year £22.00 £22.54
Current EDD grant aid to the employer is as follows (subject to future EDD budget reviews):
Year 1 £3,000
Year 2 £3,000
Year 3 £1,300
Year 4 £1,200
The likely payroll costs, grant aid and potential income from re-chargeable work during the training period are as follows: -
Vehicle, Mechanical, Electrical Apprentice (Apprentice II pay rate):
Year Est. Payroll Grant Aid Re-chargeable Est. Outlay
Cost (2011) Time Est. Income
Year 1 £12,100 £3,000 0 hrs/yr £ 0 £9,100
Year 2 £15,750 £3,000 640 hrs/yr @ £13.58 £ 8,700 £4,050
Year 3 £19,500 £1,300 960 hrs/yr @ £16.66 £16,000 £2,200
Year 4 £23,050 £1,200 1120 hrs/yr @ £22.54 £25,200 (£3,350)
This results in a net expenditure over the 4 yr period of (per apprentice): £12,000
The estimated income shown in the above calculations is based on the apprentice attending college one day/week and working on chargeable jobs for two days/week in Year 2, three days/week in Year 3 and 3 ½ days/week in Year 4 with a potential of 1600 chargeable hours/year for a five day week.
Carpentry Apprentice (Apprentice I pay rate):
Year Est. Payroll Grant Aid Re-chargeable Est. Outlay
Cost (2011) Time Est. Income
Year 1 £11,500 £3,000 0 hrs/yr £ 0 £8,500
Year 2 £15,000 £3,000 640 hrs/yr @ £13.00 £ 8,300 £3,700
Year 3 £18,500 £1,300 960 hrs/yr @ £16.00 £15,300 £1,900
Year 4 £22,000 £1,200 1120 hrs/yr @ £22.00 £24,600 (£3,800)
This results in a net expenditure over the 4 yr period of (per apprentice): £10,300
The estimated income shown in the above calculations is based on the apprentice attending college one day/week and working on chargeable jobs for two days/week in Year 2, three days/week in Year 3 and 3 ½ days/week in Year 4 with a potential of 1600 chargeable hours/year for a five day week.
Parks and Gardens Apprentices – 3 yr training contract (Apprentice I pay rate):
Year Est. Payroll Grant Aid Re-chargeable Est. Outlay
Cost (2011) Time Est. Income
Year 1 £11,500 £3,000 £ 8,500
Year 2 £15,000 £3,000 £12,000
Year 3 £18,500 £1,300 £17,200
This results in a net expenditure over the 3 yr period of (per apprentice): £37,700
Parks & Gardens do not operate on a re-chargeable job basis although it is likely that in their latter years the apprentices will contribute productive labour towards section contract work.
Departmental Budget Implications 2011 – 2015
Trade: Vehicle / Mechanical / Electrical
B/U: QYVW00 / QBMM00 / QBME00
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Grants (£ 750) (£ 3000) (£ 2575) (£1275) (£ 900)
MW Basic £2840 £12217 £15640 £19073 £16288
MW Soc Sec £ 185 £ 794 £ 1017 £ 1240 £ 1055
Labour Credit Offset £ 0 (£ 2175) (£10525) (£18300) (£18900)
Trade: Carpentry
B/U: QEIM08
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Grants (£ 750) (£ 3000) (£ 2575) (£1275) (£ 900)
MW Basic £2702 £11629 £15422 £18170 £15472
MW Soc Sec £ 176 £ 756 £ 1003 £ 1181 £ 1006
Labour Credit Offset £ 0 (£ 2075) (£10050) (£17625) (£18450)
Trade: Parks – Grounds Tech ./ Gardener
B/U: QGA000 / QGA000
2011 2012 2013 2014
Grants (£ 750) (£ 3000) (£ 2575) (£ 975)
MW Basic £2702 £11629 £15422 £13012
MW Soc Sec £ 176 £ 756 £ 1003 £ 846
Entry to, and progression through, the scheme
Academic entry standards for all trades are set at a minimum of 3 GCSEs at grade ‘C’ or above to include Maths, English and at least one other, preferably a science subject. This has always been the basic entry criteria as applied under the original States HR managed apprentice scheme.
The normal States’ selection and recruitment procedures would be followed.
Training plans with required academic and competency objectives to be met would be in line with the EDD ‘Jersey Apprenticeship Scheme’ handbook which sets these out for each trade.
Successful progression from apprentice year 1 through to completion will be on confirmation by the line manager that the required standards of academic achievement, on-the-job competency, completion of the EDD Scheme logbook and personal development have all been achieved by the trainee.
Progression will take place on the anniversary of their start of employment, normally September, following the completion of each academic year. This will follow a performance review and appraisal conducted by the line manager and the apprentice together with an evaluation of the apprentices’ logbook in compliance with the EDD Scheme rules.
On successful completion of the apprenticeship contract, the trainee will receive an ‘Apprenticeship Completion Certificate’ from the Department and will be free to apply for suitable vacant posts within the Department or other States Departments. Should no posts be available, every assistance will be given to the apprentice to find a suitable post in the private sector.
Should the apprentice demonstrate the ability to continue their technical studies at a higher academic level it is hoped that the Department would do all it could to facilitate this, dependent on the constraints applicable at the time.
Sustainability of the Apprenticeship Scheme
It is recommended that the TTS Apprenticeship scheme be regarded as a long-term training initiative and that support in principle to the scheme continuing on an on-going basis is given at Senior Management and Ministerial level. Whilst it must be accepted that this will be subject to future budget provision and that the individual trade disciplines involved may vary as the business needs of the department and States of Jersey as a whole evolve, a regular and sustained training programme is strongly recommended.
In most of the trade areas covered by the scheme it is believed that the ideal flow of apprentices should be 2 at different stages at any one time. That is, when one starts their third year a second new entrant starts their first year. This will enable the relatively small sections to provide the required level and quality of training to the apprentices, provide a sustained and manageable flow of trained technicians for employment in the local job market and allow prior year budgeting for the employment costs.
Conclusions
- There is an Island need for vocational training in engineering related disciplines which can be assisted by the continuation of TTS apprentice training.
- The existing section management and staff are keen to assist in this training and apprentice training has always had the support of the unions.
- As a result of re-charging apprentice time to jobs at an acceptable level wherever possible and gaining EDD grant aid towards day-release costs the overall payroll cost of the scheme would be significantly reduced.
Recommendations
- That the Senior Management Team authorise the continuation of Apprentice training in line with the EDD ‘Jersey Apprenticeship Scheme’.
- That six training posts be identified and, where these do not currently exist, vacant posts no longer required be converted accordingly.
- That future section budgets be revised to allow for the funding of these posts as identified above.
- That six posts in the following trades be advertised during July as follows:
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Motor Vehicle Engineering
- Carpentry
- Parks – Grounds Technician
- Parks – Gardener
Resource Implications
Funding has been confirmed and provision made in the Department’s 2012 budget. The financial cost of the scheme will be met from within the Department’s existing cash limit and the required posts found from within the existing staff head count.
Action Required
Principal Engineer, Support Services, to arrange for six apprentice posts to be advertised during July.
Written by: | Principal Engineer, Support Services |
Approved by: | Director of Operational Services |
Endorsed by: | Chief Officer, TTS |
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