Accounting for Gender in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme in Scotland

There is an assumption amongst policy makers that on the whole public policy interventions are gender neutral. However in practice this is often not the case and in some instances public sector spending may actually serve to reinforce exiting patterns of gender inequality. A good example of that is the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme in Scotland. The research evidence suggests that the MA programme is skewed towards investment in the human capital of men compared to women. Traditional apprenticeships such as those in engineering, construction and plumbing tend to be male dominated are associated with better outcomes, particularly in terms of pay, and better completion rates than those in the non-traditional areas. Overall, women are less likely than men to access MA training, particularly in the 16-19 age group, and, where they do take up the MA programme, they are concentrated in sectors associated with their gender in caring and service occupations. Pay is considerably less in these occupational frameworks and there is evidence to suggest that they are not as 'valuable' to employers as those in the traditional, male dominated, apprenticeships. In short, the MA programme displays severe occupational segregation with largely negative consequences for female MAs. Furthermore the traditional apprenticeships tend to last longer and require more public investment than the female dominated service based apprenticeships.
The key challenge for policy makers is to ensure that their interventions do not exacerbate or reinforce existing gender based inequalities. Particularly since the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires that all public sector organisations include equality considerations in the design of policies and the delivery of services. One way of meeting this challenge is to use a Gender Impact Analysis (GIA) to evaluate existing and new policies. The purpose of this research project is to develop such a tool using the MA programme as a case study.
'Accounting for gender in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme in Scotland' is a proposed research and knowledge exchange project stemming from the existing work of Women in Scotland's Economy (WiSE) Research Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University and Close the Gap, a partnership organisation which works with a range of organisations in Scotland to tackle the gender pay gap.
The MA programme in Scotland is a national flagship training programme which commands a considerable proportion of the Scottish education and training budget. The MA programme currently represents a somewhat 'missed opportunity' for a national training programme to challenge occupational segregation and stereotyping in the labour market thus helping to overcome gender inequality in training, work and pay. As it currently operates the MA programme reinforces inequality. But it could affect real, positive change in terms of the 'gap' between male and female labour market outcomes if occupational segregation was fully considered in the implementation and funding of the programme. This project seeks to generate impact mainly through dissemination of the GIA tool which will be facilitated through the submission of an academic paper and two seminars, one hosted by WiSE for a public audience and one hosted by Close the Gap, to a specialist audience, drawn from their existing networks.

This research bid seeks to influence policy and practice in relation to Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) and gender. The MA programme currently represents a somewhat 'missed opportunity' for a national training programme to challenge occupational segregation and stereotyping in the labour market thus helping to overcome gender inequality in training, work and pay. The MA programme currently reinforces inequality but, could affect real, positive change in terms of the 'gap' between male and female labour market outcomes if occupational segregation was fully considered in the implementation and funding of the programme. The ESRC highlights the need to "identify and to test the interventions that will impact quickly and positively on inequality" (ESRC 2009-2014: 20). Ultimately this research aims to influence public policy to eliminate significant gender bias in participation patterns and in resource allocation in the context of MAs.
This work builds on the research track record of the PI, Prof McKay and academic team in collaboration with Close the Gap. Close the Gap is a partnership initiative between Scottish Government, the Equality and Human Rights Commission; Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Skills Development Scotland; and the STUC. Impact therefore is aimed at the consolidation of a more gender aware approach to policy making. If successful, impact should also reach young people in Scotland through the breakdown of barriers to occupational choice therefore providing opportunity for all to flourish in a truly modern Scottish labour market.
While there is a history of partnership between the WiSE Research Centre at GCU, and Close the Gap (see for example Thomson 2007 & 2009), this particular research/knowledge exchange collaboration will optimise a research strength in gender and MAs with the applied knowledge and reach of Close the Gap's extensive networks, to the benefit of policy makers, employers, trade unions, women's organisations, NGO's charities and public sector organisations.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the Scottish Government's political commitment to equalities and particularly, the significant inroads made towards GIA of the budget process in Scotland, indicates this research has the potential to be of great significance to policy makers. The project will feed directly in to the work of the Equality Budgets Advisory Group of the Scottish Government, who provide advice and support in the promotion of equality mainstreaming with specific reference to the resource allocation process. The PI sits on this group and the work associated with it has directly informed the Equality Statement now published routinely as a key component of the Scottish budget documents. The progress and outputs associated with this project will feature as a key focus for the ongoing work of EBAG and as a Ministerial advisory group outputs will be reported directly to the relevant Scottish Government Minister.
Close the Gap plays a critical role in ensuring routes to impact through its own network of partners and stakeholders. It works with policy makers, employers, trade unions and women's organisations to address occupational segregation, a key cause of the gender pay gap.
Close the Gap's role in this partnership is designed to optimise potential impact through the following collaborative activities; engagement with external stakeholders; maintain a knowledge exchange dialogue with the academic research team, including bringing the experience of working with employers; collaborate with GCU academics to disseminate the findings of the GIA of the MA programme for non-academic audiences; involvement in two seminars, one hosted by Close the Gap and one hosted by WiSE at GCU; extending beyond the life of the project, identify areas where the GIA tool could be used to support organisations to meet their PSED requirements, and to make transparent the gendered outcomes of spend.