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UTILITY WEEK | 12TH - 18TH FEBRUARY 2016 | 25 of three 14m-deep shas, each of segmental concrete construction. The central sha is 7.5m in diameter to accommodate the tunnel excavation machine, while the remaining shas are 6m in diameter. The sewer should be commissioned and the road fully opened in May. If you have a project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send your pictures and details of the project to: paul.newton@fav-house.com Pipe up Chris Wood C onventional apprenticeships are mostly run by colleges and private training providers who deliver the qualifications. Employers who sign up to schemes provide work experience, but control of the academic element is largely out of their hands. There are three reasons this arrangement is unpopu- lar with employers. Firstly, college time takes a chunk out of the apprentice's working week. Secondly, the one- size-fits-all approach means that much of the off-the-job training falls wide of the specific skill set required by the sponsoring employer. Thirdly, generically trained apprentices graduate with transferable skills and quali- fications, arguably making them more likely to leave before the employer achieves a return on investment. As their name suggests, Trailblazer Apprenticeships are a dramatic departure from the historical model. Their arrival is a direct response to calls from influential employer organisations for workplace training to be made more relevant. The compelling argument from industry lobbyists is that if vocational training is more specific to employers, they are more likely to invest in it. These new apprenticeships are different from the norm, as the company providing the work expe- rience shapes each apprentice's curriculum. Because the Trailblazer approach is more specific to the employer, and has more dependa- ble outcomes, it can be included as part of the business's HR strategy with more confidence. Another difference with this scheme is that successful learners receive a pass or a distinction grade, depend- ent on their performance during the entire programme, as well as an end-point assessment. That makes sense for vocational training. It is also fairer, providing an opportunity for participants to demonstrate competence in more realistic circumstances. So is this the answer to the skills crisis in the utili- ties sector? It goes without saying that bringing a new generation of engineers into the industry is the only way to solve a crisis caused by an ageing workforce. We believe if the number of employers in the sector running Trailblazer programmes reaches critical mass, demand for recruits will hot up, forcing the industry to be more effective in promoting apprenticeships to young people. Ultimately then, the Trailblazer methodology is a potential game changer. Trailblazer Apprenticeships will probably not deliver the numbers we so desperately need on their own, but they have the capacity to make an enormous difference and get the sector thinking in the right way about the future. Chris Wood, chief executive, Develop Training "Trailblazer is a potential game changer. It makes real world training more closely aligned to real world jobs" The company providing the work experience shapes each apprentice's curriculum Operations & Assets