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Kate Upcraft sets record straight on apprenticeships

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As the dust settles after this year’s apprenticeship week, Will Cole talks to payroll expert Kate Upcraft on dispelling myths and promoting this alternative education route.

28th Feb 2022
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With news that we are on the home straight towards the end of Covid restrictions, apprenticeship uptake levels have finally begun to bounce back. According to government research, there were roughly 130,000 new apprenticeship starters beginning their courses during the period from August to October 2022; this represents a massive 43% increase on the year before and reaches intake levels similar to those pre-pandemic.

As the job market continues to find its feet after a tumultuous two years, this increase in apprenticeships is an indication that employers are utilising the scheme to fill the gaps in their operations. However, while many are taking advantage of the opportunities an apprenticeship can offer, there is still a level of scepticism amongst some employers in the accounting profession and beyond.

This measure of doubt among the accounting community has led some to look elsewhere when it comes to hiring new staff. Kate Upcraft, skills coach for the the level 3 payroll apprenticeship, and past master at working with apprentices, on the other hand, believes this line of thought is a mistake.

A diverse age range

A sticking point that has seemed to deter many employers is the idea that an apprentice will be young and inexperienced.

Yet, Upcraft believes this stigma is both false and misplaced when looking at her own experiences with apprenticeships, arguing that there “are a mixture of people who've come into payroll as a profession, from completely different backgrounds, wanting to get a career qualification in payroll.”

And while many of the individuals she has mentored throughout her career have been from younger demographics, Upcraft said she has worked with a significant number of older, more work-savvy individuals looking to upskill at their current firm.

“I've got one that's 18 and I've got a lady in her mid 50s,” Upcraft said. “So that's the complete age spectrum and they're very good for each other because they've got very different life experiences, as well as professional experiences which they can share.”

Upcraft’s comments are backed by the Governments findings on apprenticeship demographics, stating that while apprentices under 19 accounted for 30.8%, those over the age of 25 have made up 38.3% of last year’s intake.

The less traditional route

At a time where many are struggling to make any sort of meaningful dent in their student loan repayments, Upcraft championed apprenticeships as an excellent alternative route to the university experience, arguing that, with accounting and payroll in particular, apprentices have a distinct edge over their graduate contemporaries thanks to the real-world experience that such initiatives have to offer, stating:

“University is not going to give you any sort of head start in employment tax. All the time, youngsters who've done an accountancy degree will say ‘I have no idea why I did it because now I've actually started in a practice, it bears no relation to my studies.’”

With apprenticeship courses ranging from GCSE level top-ups to degree equivalents, Upcraft argued that employers can choose from a diverse range of applicants who are willing, not only to learn the craft, but to become a valuable member of the team.

Contributors on a recent Any Answers thread seemed to agree with this assumption, with members such as creamdelacream encapsulating the general consensus by saying to “skip uni; it will only waste your time and money.”

Motivation and support

Another Any Answers thread, focused around motivating apprenticeships, highlighted another commonly held belief among employers that apprentices, especially those finishing secondary school or college, lack the gumption to properly tackle the working world.

“It’s a generational thing,” contributor sGill argued, while Any Answers regular Justin Bryant squared the blame solely on the rise of social media. However, while understanding their frustrations, Upcraft believed that, when it comes to motivating apprentices, it’s a two way street.

“I think that is down to the supportive atmosphere that exists within the business.” Upcraft said.

“If you want to get the most out of this as an employer, there is a quid pro quo that you've got to support, motivate and really buy into what they're doing alongside their day job.”

Jumping off from this point, Upcraft maintained that, if employers were not willing to put in the work when it came to training, the investment would be a complete waste of time. On the topic of an employer’s lack of support, Upcraft stated:

“The [apprentice] has got to be such a self-starter because they've got to get through the motivation gap and then inevitably, they are going to leave. So you have actually lost all that investment of time and you've lost all that commitment.”

Instead of losing potential investment, Upcraft argued that employers need to hit the ground running when it comes to training, rather than saddling new starters with grunt work.

Offering an example of one of her student’s experiences, Upcraft noted that “right from day one, [her student] was doing actual tasks that she was responsible for and bit by bit she's building her accountabilities. That's because she's in a supportive environment where people really want her to succeed.”.

Be prepared

While Upcraft was happy to sing the praises of apprenticeships and the potential benefits they can offer to practises, she was also keen to point out the importance of preparation and picking the right candidate for the needs of your firm.

Admitting that she too had been burned before by apprentices who sought to game the system, Upcraft noted that finding a candidate with the right mentality.

“The only negative thing I can tell you about is somebody who really went in with completely the wrong ethos.” Upcraft said. “Sometimes people have seen it as a bit of a cheeky way of thinking ‘I'll say I'm going to study this in order to get lots of other support.’”

However, while accepting that there are those who take advantage, most who join are willing to learn and grow with the right level of support and encouragement.

Upcraft ended by laying down the gauntlet to employers to get out there and get in touch with apprentice training providers, saying that “this is about [employers] training professionals for a future career and to hopefully have them with you for a long time. So please, please go out and do it because we want you.”

Replies (3)

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
01st Mar 2022 10:22

My only concern with solely apprenticeship routes over university would be, do apprenticeships more train to the rules that subsist today whereas university possibly stretches more to the arts of the possible, the what ifs, they maybes of accounting thought?

The lesson I have learned since the 80s is the landscape does not remain constant and accountants, like most professionals, need to embraces differing approaches to say the measurement of profit,
throughout their careers. Whilst I can recognise that an apprenticeship likely immerses one earlier in the nuts and bolts of accountancy I am not totally convinced it will as readily impart the mindset for critical thinking about accountancy that may be invaluable later in one's career.

Maybe an approach embracing both the practical and the academic would cover the required bases.

(E.g. my father and mother apprenticed as solicitors in Scotland whilst also attending classes at Edinburgh University at the same time, the LLB (then a postgrad degree) was studied at the same time as they learned how to draft deeds and instruments in private practice, whilst intensive maybe that offers the best of both worlds)

Thanks (1)
Replying to DJKL:
All Paul Accountants in Leeds
By paulinleeds
02nd Mar 2022 14:51

I think studying for my ACCA part-time (6 years), one day a week, and working the other days in practice gave practical knowledge to the exam theory and hopefully made me a better accountant.

Thanks (0)
Replying to paulinleeds:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
02nd Mar 2022 15:31

Yes, but did ACCA teach beyond the extant standards of the day, the how?

I only studied accountancy at university for one year, my first degree is nothing to do with accountancy, I took a graduate conversion course at Aberdeen as back then only relevant graduates could become ICAS students.

Despite the crammer approach the one year course still allowed some time to embrace both practical accounting and the more esoteric issues covering say valuation issues re inflation, current cost approaches etc, reading back issue articles by say Baxter at the LSE stretched thoughts, this created, albeit limited, some academic rigour to my studies, not just how things are done but the more important why; if we treat as x how does this impact y, the challenges between accurate profit measurement and accurate balance sheets, which is more important and why etc etc etc.

Once into ICAS training why arguments re say primacy of the statements just took a back seat to "This is the word of the Lord (Financial reporting Council), no thought is needed, just observe what is required from you and do it, no questions asked."

That is my issue with the professional exams, yes one learns what is required but the why gets subjugated, as accounting thought evolves and changes accountants need more than just how they really also need why, and without more early academic teaching that, imho, could become lost.

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