Covid-19 Impact Report: April 2021

The latest updates on the impact of Covid-19 on our programmes, apprentices and employers

By James Burbidge · 30th April 2021

Introduction

Prior to the global pandemic we were collecting monthly reports that kept us sighted on the progress of our apprentices and the health of our programmes. When Covid-19 hit, however, all that went out the window as employers, apprentices and partners were put on furlough. To understand just how much impact Covid-19 was having, and what we could do to support our apprentices and employers, we undertook an ad-hoc impact report in June 2020.

Our response so far

Since then, and as a result of the information we gained from that report, we have:

  1. Pivoted to a digital delivery model for 5 new programme launches (encompassing 60 new apprentices and 24 employers) which included online recruitment events, learning and support.
  2. Made emergency relief funding available, with 100% of those who formally applied receiving additional financial support
  3. Worked on strategic development of the support we offer apprentices and employers, including developing workshops to address areas identified in the June 2020 report
  4. Committed to ongoing consultation to inform our programmes, most recently through the introduction of our new youth board and pilot of other offers including corporate mentoring
  5. Brought in new roles, including a National Education Manager and Partnerships Officer to support the changing nature of the programme and provide wider support

April 2021 Impact Report

In April 2021, with the pandemic ongoing, we launched the follow up questionnaire to help us understand the impact Covid has had on the stubborn inequalities faced by the young people and employers we work with. With the majority of our apprentices and employers being placed on furlough at some point this past year and monthly reporting being paused, we wanted to understand whether key themes highlighted in March remain or if there has been a shift in priorities.

Our findings continue to highlight the severe impact the pandemic has had on our apprentices and the organisations they work for. A year in and many of the same findings and challenges remain.

Apprentices

 

CHALLENGESSTRENGTHS
64% have been furloughed at some point since the start on the pandemic64% reported the main positive during this period was the opportunity to learn new skills
81% reported poor mental health97% reported that they feel supported by Coach Core
Just 46% reported that they feel confident going back to full-time employment67% reported that they feel confident to return to coaching
38% reported that they are unsure about their future career prospects

Employers

CHALLENGESSTRENGTHS
47% report a severe impact from the Covid-19 pandemic74% say they are somewhat to very likely to be in a position to take on an apprentice in the next 6 months
The biggest implication of the pandemic for our employers are remote working (83%) and reduced revenue from session delivery (81%)42% list level 2 apprenticeships as the way their organisation will recover and reinvent

Conclusions

For our young people lack of motivation and poor mental health is having a huge impact on their confidence and engagement with both education and fulltime work. There have been positives for both employers and apprentices around learning new skills online and embracing the connectivity through technology but this is overshadowed by themes of loss of connection with their communities though delivery and severe financial hardships.

As restrictions start to lift and activity gets reinstated our focus is on how to best support apprentices and employers to reinvent, recover and rebuilt.

Next Steps

Whilst sporting activity and coaching provision has started to return, we know we are not out of the Covid woods yet, and that even when the pandemic has been controlled, it may take years for the sector to recover. We are committed to:

  1. Continuous support to identify wider funding opportunities
  2. Development of a formalised programme to respond to areas of concern raised by our apprentices, including: digital deprivation, mental health support, career support and the return to coaching
  3. Collaborative working to support the engagement and progress of each individual learner

You can find out more about our strategy for the next three years here.
We believe apprentices can be at the heart of how organisations respond to the Covid crisis – we have written about it here.

If you would like to know more about this impact report, please get in touch: info@coachcore.org.uk

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