Kate Ridley-Pepper, the Department for Work and Pensions’ director of work based skills, offered updates on key areas of apprenticeships reform on day two of FE Week’s Apprenticeships and Training Conference.
Here are the takeaways.
First apprenticeship units confirmed for AI, digital and engineering
Ridley-Pepper repeated the government’s ambition is to pivot the apprenticeships system towards young people but pressed that employers and older learners will be supported with “more flexible training that they’ve long called for as part of our growth and skills offer”.
She confirmed, as reported by FE Week last month, that the first wave of short courses called apprenticeship units will be in priority areas such as AI, digital and engineering.
They will be “available from next month”. There is still no detail on exactly how many units will be initially offered, including their funding, content, assessment and duration.
Ridley-Pepper said further details “will be announced shortly”.
She added that the government will expand apprenticeship units over the coming months and years, taking advice from Skills England on where the skill gaps are and which units would be best placed to address them.
‘Substantial’ streamlining
The DWP senior civil servant told ATC delegates that the government needs to “prioritise” how the apprenticeships budget is spent amid the “flexibility” being introduced through new short courses.
This is to ensure the budget is “sustainable, delivers value for money and benefits those who need it most”.
Ridley-Pepper reminded the sector that the apprenticeships budget is “finite” – it went overspent for the first time last year.
She took aim at “widespread misconceptions that we return significant unspent apprenticeship budget”, adding that government wants to simplify the system and “address this illusion” of excess funding.
Ministers are currently deciding how to streamline the apprenticeship system, which has grown to more than 700 standards, to ensure that it “aligns with government priorities and focuses particularly on the areas of genuine market training, rather than subsidising more general learning and development activity”.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith confirmed to FE Week last month that leadership and management apprenticeships are in the mix for defunding.
Ridley-Pepper confirmed today that the streamlining effort will be “more substantial” than a housekeeping exercise of clearing out apprenticeships with low or no starts.
She committed to being “as open and as transparent as possible”.
The DWP director was challenged by Ben Rowland, CEO of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, for more transparency around the government’s internal thought process – including why streamlining is being done by standard instead of age, salary, or employer co-funding.
Ridley-Pepper replied: “We absolutely have looked at all of those things, and as I say, we have really mixed views back from all sorts of people.
“There’s quite a lot of standards that are primarily taken – maybe 75 per cent or above – by people over 25. So if we were to do age-related streamlining those standards would probably become undeliverable for most providers.
“In terms of co-funding, most employers say they already pay into the levy so they would not tolerate paying again for something they have already paid for. There is a huge range of different views. The challenge is we are trying to trade off what is the right solution for business, for young people, but also for the economy.”
She told delegates that she recognises the sector needs final answers, and committed to publishing details about streamlining and apprenticeship units at the same time to ensure there is “clarity about the future offer”.
Assessment changes won’t reduce competency
Ridley-Pepper also used her speech to address concerns about apprenticeship assessment reform, which includes doing away with end-point assessment, introducing sampling of non-mandatory knowledge and skills, and making mandatory qualifications the sole method of assessment in some apprenticeships.
Independent assessment of behaviours is also being removed, leaving employers to verify them internally.
The DWP director said: “Quality and rigor define apprenticeships and that is not being reduced. Occupational competence remains the foundation of every apprenticeship, and that isn’t changing.
“Apprentices will continue to be required to demonstrate full occupational competence across all key knowledge and skills and behaviours. These reforms are about removing unnecessary complexity and duplication rather than removing rigor.”
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