The Advanced Modern Apprenticeship project in London 2003—2005
| Published date | 01 September 2007 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550507080353 |
| Date | 01 September 2007 |
| Author | Angela Brown |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The Advanced Modern Apprenticeship project
in London 2003–2005
Angela Brown, London Probation Area
Abstract This article discusses the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship (AMA)
project, a diversity initiative which aimed to encourage young minority ethnic
people to develop careers in the criminal justice sector. The author argues that the
positive results that were achieved should lead to replication and expansion of the
initiative.
Keywords arduous, godsend, injection of youth, qualifications, trial and error
Bhui (2006) contrasted the development of diversity initiatives within the prison
and probation services, suggesting that the prison service had initiated diversity
policies and procedures which had been imposed ‘top down’. These were there-
fore supported by senior management and embedded within the organization but
did not necessarily capture the hearts and minds of the workforce. The probation
service, by contrast, could boast a plethora of sound, well-intentioned initiatives
carried through by the energy and commitment of staff but which, lacking the
support of higher management, lapsed at the end of the project when the staff
moved on. One such project may be the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship (AMA)
project which was run in London 2003–2005 but which will probably not be
repeated. This article is an attempt to do four things:
●Support the project as a positive diversity initiative which deserves to be
repeated;
●Examine how far the project fulfilled its stated aims;
●Promote the project as part of the drive to recruit a fully qualified workforce
at probation service officer (PSO) level;
●Enable other areas which may be about to embark on similar schemes to
avoid our mistakes.
The AMA project in London was promoted by ‘Skills for Justice’, a government-
funded body formed from the merger of three national training organizations –
271
Probation Journal
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Copyright © 2007 NAPO Vol 54(3): 271–275
DOI: 10.1177/0264550507080353
www.napo.org.uk
http://prb.sagepub.com
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