Evaluation of the Apprenticeship Trailblazers: interim report

The Apprenticeship Trailblazers are the means through which the government is implementing the Richard Review recommendations for greater employer ownership of apprenticeship training. The Trailblazers are being phased in over time using an early adopter model to test the processes required of employers to develop the occupational standards and detailed assessment models that conform to the national principles for the new apprenticeships. In addition, the Trailblazers are being used to identify the structures required nationally to oversee and quality assure the new process for apprenticeship development. The Institute for Employment Studies was commissioned to lead a process evaluation of Trailblazer developments. The research involves 16 of the Trailblazers and is tasked with exploring: how Trailblazer networks are established and structured; the processes involved in developing standards and detailed assessments; employer responses to the national principles such as grading, endpoint and synoptic assessment as well as to the funding reforms; and the overall satisfaction of employers with the development process. This report is an interim output from the evaluation and draws on interviews with a range of stakeholders and messages emerging from national workshops and Trailblazers' meetings. A final evaluation report will be submitted for publication in Spring 2015.

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