As part of the Chancellor’s 2020 Plan for Jobs, the Government announced a boost in funding and a series of changes to the traineeship programme. This included the introduction of two new occupational traineeship pilots in rail and construction. The aim of the pilots was to support more young people to gain skills and experience that will enable them to progress directly to jobs or apprenticeships in key sectors of the economy.

The new rail and construction traineeship pilots were unique as they were developed as a collaboration between providers, sector bodies, intermediary organisations, employers and Department for Education. The content was aligned to a specific job or apprenticeship standard(s), with the learning undertaken as part of the traineeship potentially counting towards the achievement of the apprenticeship thereby leading to the possibility of an accelerated apprenticeship.

The Construction traineeship pilot was delivered by Hartlepool College. The Rail traineeship pilot was delivered by Intertrain, a City and Guilds Group Business, in Birmingham and London.

Learning and Work Institute have been evaluating the implementation and early impact of these two pilots for Department for Education. We have produced two summaries of the traineeships, two case study reports and two films, showcasing the pilots. We have also produced a set of top tips for education and training providers who are interested in developing occupational traineeships. Explore all of these resources below.

Watch the films and explore the case studies below. Visit the gov.uk website to find out how you can get involved as an employer, provider or young person.