‘apprenticeships’ in accordance with their own principles of skill formation, skill transfer and
employability.
To understand why many employers in the creative and cultural sector distance themselves
from the AAP, the paper compares and contrasts the AAP with the ‘Technical Apprenticeship’
(TA) that has been developed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre (Rep) through the auspices
of ‘The Last Mile’ Project4. We start by tracing the changing notions of skill formation, skill
transfer and employability that underpin the AAP, highlighting the very different
interpretations of apprenticeship permitted within national apprenticeship framework. Next,
we draw on material from our study of the TA to outline its approach to skill formation5. We
then draw on a number of ideas and concepts from philosophy and sociocultural and activity
theory to compare the two models of apprenticeship. Finally, we conclude by raising a
number of questions and issues as regards the future development of apprenticeship in the
creative and cultural sector and more widely in the UK.
Apprenticeships in the UK: from the industrial-relation via market-led and social
inclusion models
To set the scene for our comparison of the AAP and Birmingham Rep’s TA, we start by
offering a brief overview of the development of apprenticeship in the UK which we describe
this as a shift from an ‘industrial relations’ (I-R) model via a ‘market-based’ (M-B) model to a
‘social inclusion’ (S-I) model. In tracing the shifts we are primarily highlighting the changing
assumptions about skill formation in apprenticeship, rather than providing a comprehensive
account of all the features of apprenticeship associated with each model6.
Industrial-relation model
During the post-war period, apprenticeship in the UK was an integral part of the national
industrial relations framework. One of its main characteristics was that it functioned as a part
of the ‘collective laissez-faire’ system of that era, in other words, ‘the fluctuating mix of
market forces, collective organisation and industrial conflict’ (Ryan 1999, p. 41). The national
4 The Last Mile is a £13 million project funded through the EU’s EQUAL Programme. It is looking at inclusion
in the creative and cultural sectors in the following regions in the UK: Cumbria, London, Birmingham,
Manchester, Sheffield, Slough, with special reference to the Black and Minority Ethnic population. The
Birmingham Rep’s budget for the TA was £271,762 over two years (Stuart Rogers, February 2007). This covered
the cost of a Project Coordinator, wages for the apprentices, recruitment etc.
5 The major method of data collection was semi-structured interviews, which included one-to-one
interviews with six apprentices, six Head of Departments and the Project Co-ordinator, and group
interviews with the apprentices and the Head of Departments over the two year period. In
addition to interviews, apprentices were observed in the workplace. Interviews were conducted at
around every quarter of the year, and extra meetings were held with the Project Co-ordinator
whenever necessary. All interviews were recorded, summarised, and analysed thematically.
6 See Gospel (1998) and Ryan & Unwin (2001) for a discussion of the changing industrial relations
and funding issues as regards apprenticeship.