Unfortunately what people often think of as apprenticeships are nothing like what they've become these days.
Modern apprenticeships are more about cheap 'basic grunt' labour than teaching skills. or rather, that's the case with most companies.
The old days of an apprentice shadowing a skilled person for a couple of years and gradually building up their skill-set are sadly long gone.
I unfortunately had the pleasure of having a plumber and an electrician in that didn't understand the way Evohome worked. But to be fair they did a fine job with the installation of the new boiler and unvented cylinder. Now imagine this scene in my house, where I, the client, was setting it up - including the wiring - and both these guys were taking notes and pictures. At the end of the installation, I asked them to certify the job!
This is why I don't call myself a plumber. I'm not that good at it (bathrooms etc). I can do it, but I'm slow. Boilers and heating controls on the other hand.....
It is a damming indictment of our industry training that someone can install a boiler and not know how to wire it up. Referring back to apprenticeships, there are plenty about, but there is not real help from the powers that be to make up the difference in the cost of the training incurred by the SME, and the extra "help" the apprentice offers.
For us, an apprentice, if being taught, will add time onto each job in hand. The customer won't to pay for it. The person mentoring the apprentice equally won't want to be paying for it.
Actually I've just skim read the funding page on the government website. It's a bit of a joke really. Much like university fees. Bloody stupid idea that too.
Kind Regards - Dan Robinson (Jennings Heating Ltd)