Introducing an innovative approach to supporting work-based learning for specialist trade operatives

This paper reports on the outcomes of a three year action research project which involved developing a new approach to delivering work-based national vocational qualifications (NVQ) (level 2 and 3) to specialist trade operatives. It reviews approaches to qualifying the workforce and argues that NVQs give greater efficiency in terms of time and cost than traditional college-based training. At the end of the project a culture shift in employer and employee towards formal qualifications was observed within the sample group. In addition, the awarding Further Education College had moved from a position of solely centralised construction training to one which allowed flexibility in its delivery style. Prior to this project an achievement rate of 25% was recorded. At the end of the three year project completion rates raised to above the Learning Skills Council's national benchmark requirement of 75%.