JTL - Delivering Skills For Young People

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Amicus

All apprentices are entitled to join a trade union. The recognised trade union in the craft sector of the building services engineering sector is Amicus. Formerly the Amalgamated Engineering & Electrical Union (AEEU), Amicus is the UK’s largest engineering union with approximately 730,000 members in the private and public sectors.

When you begin your training with JTL, you may well be visited by a union representative. This person will discuss with you the benefits of union membership and, while it is not compulsory to do so, you may well choose to become a member of the union.

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are a Government initiative that can be said to combine the positive aspects of the traditional apprenticeship within a defined programme of training. Apprenticeships provide work-based learning to enable participants to learn on-the-job while building up skills and gaining qualifications, and are available in a broad range of industry sectors.

In May 2004, the Government announced a number of new reforms to apprenticeships. Advanced Apprenticeships, recognised as being equal to two good A Levels, incorporate an National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3 and replaces the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship.

Consequently, Advanced Apprenticeships contain a mixture of work-based training and off-the-job training including the following elements:

* an NVQ Level;
* Key Skills;
* a Technical Certificate;
* other elements that may be required by a particular occupation.

Each occupational area (e.g. electrotechnical engineering) has a representative industry body responsible for developing the apprenticeship framework, and it is this framework that clearly stipulates such things as the basic content and duration of the apprenticeship. This means that each apprenticeship is relevant to, and respected by, the industry concerned.

The apprenticeship programme receives substantial financial support from Government via the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in England and The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). This financial support is then used to help each individual obtain, and each industry provide, the best possible training within the apprenticeship programme.

In the case of JTL, and the building services engineering sector, all apprentice electricians and plumbers who meet the Government funding criteria will commence their training with JTL as an Advanced Apprentice and are expected to achieve the NVQ Level 3 at the end of their apprenticeship.