Moving companies in England can now benefit from a bespoke apprenticeship scheme specifically designed for removals operatives.
Fully funded apprenticeships are available now for people over 16 years of age.
The development of the apprenticeship was spearheaded by David Strank from Stranks Removals in Ashford Kent. In a recent interview for The Mover, David explained that the process had taken around 18 months following the UK government’s acceptance that the removals sector required a separate standard rather than being included in logistics or transport classifications. “Previous schemes had little take up because they were not designed specifically for removals,” he said.
The initiative was instigated by Ian Studd, Director General of the British Association of Removers (BAR). However the granting of the apprenticeship, and the funding that supports it, was dependent on it being created by a group representative of the whole moving industry and the apprenticeship being made available to anyone, not just those working for a trade association member. Another stipulation was that the initiative should be ‘employer led’.
To this aim, in early 2023 David was appointed chairman of a 13-member team that included representatives of independent companies and those that were members of other well-known trading groups. From this David appointed a smaller working group to drive the project forwards.
The apprenticeship is for a ‘Removals Operative’. The team worked with IFATE (Institute For Apprenticeships and Technical Education) to develop and write the apprenticeship from scratch. IFATE was not sure at first when David, Ian Studd and Chris Smallwood from Anchor Removals in Manchester initially presented the proposal. “We had to sell the idea to IFATE,” said David. “I think they thought anyone could move furniture, so we had to convince them of the skills needed.” He said that the organisation was not being obstructive however, where government money is involved, it had to be convinced that there was sufficient demand to justify providing the funding. Before the final sign off from the Secretary of State the apprenticeship also had to be tested to show that it was fit for purpose ...
Photo: David Strank.