UK – Implementing better apprenticeships

• Through the apprenticeship levy that came into effect on 6 April 2017, the government plans to raise £3 billion a year by 2021-22. This is the highest investment in real terms ever made for apprenticeships.
• Poor implementation could undermine the key benefits of this investment,in particular the quality of training, the school support and levels of pay, all of which remain a key challenge to providing better apprenticeships.
• This policy briefing helps address this concern by offering practical ways to overcome residual negative stereotypes about apprenticeships and to ensure that young people get into high-quality training schemes leading to good employment opportunities and skills that meet employer needs.

THE PERSISTING CHALLENGES FOR APPRENTICESHIPS

Despite these positive outcomes, our research also found challenges for apprenticeships.

LOW PAY

Without improvements in pay for apprentices, there will be large groups of students who are unable to access apprenticeships, as the salary will not cover their living costs. Coupled with reductions in other bene ts for young people, this undermines some of the aims of the apprenticeships programme.

SCEPTICISM IN SCHOOLS

Our research suggests that this culture shift could be achieved, in part, through a more formal, single portal, application process to enable applicants, their parents and schools, to identify high quality apprenticeship schemes with reputable providers.

THE QUALITY OF TRAINING

The stakeholders we interviewed were especially critical of the short, one year, Level 2 schemes.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Beyond the numbers: incentivising and implementing better apprenticeships