.jpg) Apprenticeships will be a way into the profession |
The government has
announced the launch of a new apprenticeship scheme in regulatory compliance
targeted at environmental health and trading standards.
The move is part of
the apprenticeship levy scheme launched in April last year designed to set up 3
million new apprenticeship nationally by 2020 to bridge Britain’s skills gap
and improve social mobility.
The launch of a level
4 Regulatory Compliance Officer apprenticeship scheme will enable local
authorities to reclaim some of the levy they have contributed and use it for
the training of regulatory officers in environmental health and trading
standards departments. The levy is also open to larger businesses.
Level 4 is seen as an
equivalent academic standard to a foundation degree course and would typically
take around two years to complete through a combination of on the job
experience and academic learning.
Employers are being
asked to set their own entry qualifications however a minimum standard of GCSE
maths and English is expected.
Once qualified a
compliance officer will be expected to carry out a risk assessment, understand
legislation relevant to regulatory functions, check and respond to non-compliance.
Discussions are
on-going with a number of training providers with courses in a Regulatory
Compliance Officer Apprenticeship expected to be up and running by September.
‘This will be a great
resource for environmental health departments and fits well with our current
review of qualifications,’ said Jon Buttolph, CIEH head of membership and
professional standards.
‘CIEH is also
supporting the trailblazer group responsible for developing the EHP degree
level apprenticeship throughout 2018.’
Approval has now been
given to set an environmental health degree apprenticeship standard. A
trailblazer group has been formed and is in the process of agreeing a draft
standard which it hoped to put to consultation later in the Spring.
The trailblazer group
is made up of a range of employers from local government and the private sector
along with representatives from universities. Final approval for the degree
standard is given by the Institute of Apprenticeships.
The apprenticeship
levy was launched in April last year and is calculated by the payroll of an
organisation. All companies with a wage bill of over £3m are required to make a
0.5 per cent levy paid monthly into their own online digital apprenticeship
service account. The government then provides 10 per cent top up funding.
Local authorities and
businesses are then able to choose which apprenticeships they wish to support,
find a course provider and then use the funds to pay for an individual course. The
Levy applies to organisation in the private and public sector.