8 July 2014
Salon owners have warned skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock that plans to give employers direct control of funding risks placing a huge extra administrative burden on hair and beauty businesses.
A delegation of salon owners, all members of the National Hairdressers’ Federation, met Mr Hancock at the Department for Education yesterday [7 July] to express their concerns about funding changes, which will be piloted when new employer-led apprenticeships are launched from May 2015.
Several of those present have already helped to develop new “trailblazer” apprenticeship standards for hair and beauty. These have raised the bar in terms of training and assessment by including practical and theory tests at the end of a programme, giving employers the confidence that apprentices are “salon ready”.
But the NHBF is concerned the funding reforms could undermine this positive change.
The government plans for training money to be controlled and administered directly by employers, who will also be required to negotiate the price of training with providers. The NHBF has called for a more flexible approach, allowing salons to choose between taking “ownership” of training money, or leaving funding to be managed by training providers as it is now.
The government has also announced plans for employers to contribute one third of the cost of training. There is some good news for small businesses (less than 50 employees) if they take on apprentices aged 16-18 who then complete their apprenticeships successfully, as a range of incentives will more than cover the cost of employer contributions – and employers get to keep the difference.
However, the administration involved in negotiating prices with training providers, claiming funding, making payments to training providers, reclaiming if payment are wrong or apprentices leave puts a huge burden on employers.
One of the delegation, Helen Buck, HR business partner at salon chain Regis, said: “The extra cost for large employers like us, as well as the increased administration, is likely to put employers off using the new, high-quality apprenticeship standards developed by the hair and beauty trailblazer group.”
Another delegate, Kevin Huggins, owner at Fusion Hair and Beauty in Great Yarmouth, said: “We want apprenticeships to be the only recognised route into employment as they set young people up for working life. Anything that puts employers off apprenticeships is not good news for our industry”
NHBF chief executive Hilary Hall added:
A lot of what the government is doing around apprenticeships is positive and welcome. But asking salons to take on these extra funding responsibilities will be an unnecessary distraction and burden. We were delighted that Matthew Hancock was sympathetic to these issues and appeared to genuinely listen to our pleas for the government to take a more flexible approach.”
The delegation comprised:
- Kevin Huggins, owner of Fusion Hair and Beauty in Great Yarmouth
- Louise Hunter, owner of Rubies Hairdressing in Huddersfield
- Lizzy Tucker, owner of Lady PJ’s Hairdressing in Bristol
- Barbara McNaughton, owner of Elements in Oxted
- Helen Buck, HR business partner at Regis UK