Beyond the Classroom: Why Apprenticeship Design Must Be an Economic Strategy, Not Just a Curriculum

Last month, I sat in a meeting with a local business owner who’d just spent thousands training an apprentice on software that became obsolete before they qualified. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this was coming?” he asked.  

This happens more often than it should, and it’s a symptom of a deeper problem. For too long, FE colleges have operated as delivery agents for pre-packaged qualifications, build the course, recruit the students, hope it matches what employers need. But the job market is changing too fast for that model to work anymore. AI, digital acceleration, shifting trade patterns – these aren’t abstract trends. They’re reshaping what our local businesses need from their workforce, sometimes faster than we can redesign a curriculum. 

At USP College, we’re trying to do something different. Not because we’ve cracked some magic formula, but because the old approach simply isn’t working. 

Moving Beyond “What Do You Want?” 

The problem with most employer engagement is that it’s too superficial. We ask businesses what skills they need, they give us a wish list, we try to bolt it onto existing qualifications. Everyone leaves the meeting feeling productive, and nothing fundamental changes. 

What actually works is messier and slower: structured collaboration through bodies like Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) sector boards. Instead of asking “what do you want?” we’re asking “what’s stopping you from growing?” and “where are your people getting stuck?” 

This gets us past the generic answers. Instead of “we need managers,” we hear “we need team leaders who can manage hybrid teams without everyone feeling isolated.” Instead of “we need digital skills,” we hear “our supervisors can’t interpret the data our new systems produce, so we’re drowning in information but starving for insight.” 

These are the granular gaps that matter – the specific friction points slowing down real businesses. And they’re the things you can only identify if you’re in regular, structured conversation with industry, not just firing off the occasional survey. 

Co-Design, Not Consultation 

Here’s what genuine co-design looks like in practice: when we develop a Teaching Assistant or Business Administration pathway, the first question isn’t “what does the qualification handbook say?” it’s “what does this role actually need to achieve in our regional economy?” 

That shift sounds small, but it changes everything. We’re not just delivering training; we’re building the operational backbone that keeps local businesses running. And if we get it wrong -if we’re teaching yesterday’s version of the job – we’re actively making the problem worse. 

This means employers can’t just be consulted. They need to be co-authors. They need to help us shape not just what we teach, but how and when we teach it. Because a qualification that requires someone to disappear from their workplace for two days a week isn’t fit for purpose if that business model can’t absorb that absence. 

The Upskilling Gap We’re Ignoring 

There’s this persistent myth that apprenticeships are mainly for school leavers. And yes, that’s important, we need pathways for young people. But if that’s all we’re doing, we’re missing half the picture. 

The hardest conversations I have are with businesses that have loyal, capable staff who’ve been with them for fifteen years – and who are now struggling because the job has changed underneath them. The receptionist who’s suddenly expected to manage complex CRM systems. The warehouse supervisor whose role is now 60% data analysis. The retail manager navigating e-commerce integration. 

These people aren’t failing. The ground is shifting, and we haven’t given them the tools to shift with it. As we move from the Apprenticeship Levy to the Growth and Skills Levy, this has to become a priority. Upskilling the existing workforce isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s essential for business retention and morale. It’s how we stop regional skills pools from stagnating while the economy around them evolves. 

Agility Is Non-Negotiable 

None of this works if colleges themselves can’t move quickly. And I’ll be honest: agility isn’t our sector’s natural strength. We’re used to annual planning cycles, validated curricula, structured terms. Industry doesn’t work that way anymore. 

We’re experimenting with immersive technology and blended learning not because it’s fashionable, but because it’s the only way to deliver training that doesn’t interrupt industry pace. The goal isn’t just to produce qualified students, it’s to produce people who are immediately useful to the local economy, who can step into roles and add value from day one. 

That requires us to be comfortable pivoting. Comfortable admitting when something isn’t working. Comfortable with iteration instead of perfection. 

What Success Actually Looks Like 

The shift we’re trying to make is straightforward to describe but difficult to execute. We’ve stopped asking “what qualification do they need?” and started asking “what problem are they trying to solve?” 

In practice, that means development is employer-led through LSIP boards, not curriculum-led. It means focusing on upskilling and workforce retention, not just new entrants. It means agile, technology-driven delivery instead of fixed classroom hours. And ultimately, it means measuring success by regional economic resilience, not just qualification attainment. 

None of this is easy, and we certainly haven’t perfected it. But I’m convinced it’s the right direction. FE colleges should be the heartbeat of their communities not because that sounds nice, but because we’re uniquely positioned to connect education, industry, and economic development in ways that actually matter to people’s lives. 

When we get this right, we’re not just filling vacancies. We’re ensuring that workers aren’t left behind as the economy transforms, that businesses can grow without constantly battling skills shortages, and that our regions have the resilience to weather whatever economic shifts come next. 

That’s the version of FE worth building. 

By Chris Murgatroyd, Vice Principal Academic, USP College