Deliver more apprenticeships, Zahawi tells college leaders

Currently around 30% of apprenticeships are delivered by colleges.

Currently around 30% of apprenticeships are delivered by colleges.

17 Nov 2021, 11:10

More from this author

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has issued a call to arms after learning that less than a third of apprenticeships are currently delivered by colleges.

He told the Association of Colleges conference this morning that he “knows colleges are more than capable” of expanding in this space.

In an interview with FE Week after his speech, Zahawi stopped short of setting an “arbitrary target” for colleges to aspire to because it “is wrong for us to do that” but urged leaders to be “ambitious as possible”.

His message comes six years after then skills minister Nick Boles told the same conference to stop letting private providers “nick your lunch” – criticising colleges for failing to secure more government apprenticeships cash.

At the time, in 2015, around 27 per cent of apprenticeships were delivered by colleges.

Zahawi told delegates today: “I would love to see even more colleges involved in delivering apprenticeships.

“Currently around 30 per cent of apprenticeships are carried out in colleges, but if we really want to transform supply we will have to grow that number. I know colleges are more than capable of it.”

The education secretary said the country needs to “ensure far closer alignment between colleges and employers right across our skills system” – and listed off colleges’ role in upcoming local skills improvement plans and urged them to also get involved in other programmes like skills bootcamps.

Just 10 out of the 36 providers signed up to deliver the national rollout of bootcamps.

Zahawi refused to share his hypothesis about why colleges have not stepped up their apprenticeship delivery over the past six years.

But he told FE Week: “My call to arms is to say, look, the colleges that have really focused on this and are doing it well, I’d love you to learn from them, I’d love you to scale up because you are very much at the heart of communities.

“Join us on this journey and be ambitious about it.”

Latest education roles from

Principal & Chief Executive – Bath College

Principal & Chief Executive – Bath College

Dodd Partners

IT Technician

IT Technician

Harris Academy Morden

Teacher of Geography

Teacher of Geography

Harris Academy Orpington

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Exams Assistant

Exams Assistant

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Screening for the cognitive needs of apprentices is essential – does it matter if the process is engaging?

Engagement should be the first priority in cognitive assessment. An engaging assessment is an inclusive assessment — when cognitive...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Skills Bootcamps Are Changing – What FE Colleges Must Know 

Skills Bootcamps are evolving as funding moves to local control and digital skills trends shift. Code Institute, an Ofsted...

Code Institute
Sponsored post

Building Strong Leadership for Effective T Level Implementation

Are you struggling with T Level curriculum and implementation, or building strong employer relationships? Do you want to develop...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Derby College Group DIRT and TOES: A Story of Enhanced Learning and Reduced Workload

"Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement" - Hattie and Timperley 2007. This powerful...

Advertorial

More from this theme

Apprenticeships, Politics

Disbelief at Phillipson’s 21-and-under fudge for level 7 apprenticeships

Education secretary's 'concession' described as 'ridiculous… daft and somewhat disingenuous'

Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship training time cut for teachers to line up with school year 

Minimum duration will be cut from 12 to 9 months

Freddie Whittaker
Apprenticeships

Entrepreneur agrees to settlement over training provider liquidation

Terms kept confidential but high-profile businessman claims the deal ‘in no way represents an acceptance of any culpability or...

Billy Camden
Apprenticeships, Politics

Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe

Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments

Billy Camden

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *