Ministers have pledged to cut the time it takes to update apprenticeships and develop new short courses linked to major infrastructure projects to as little as three months.
Under the plans, announced ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, the government will “fast-track” cases where rapid changes to apprenticeships are deemed necessary to meet urgent skills demands.
However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has not specified which apprenticeships or courses would benefit. It told FE Week it is still working with employers to identify which apprenticeship updates or new short course approvals should be prioritised.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said the reforms would “slash bureaucracy” and help young people move into skilled jobs more quickly.
McFadden is due to appear on Sunday morning’s politics shows to promote the policy ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, which begins on Monday.
Employers and training providers have long complained about the time it can take to update apprenticeship training, particularly in fast-moving sectors such as technology.
The same, but faster
Skills England, an executive agency of DWP, oversees the development of apprenticeship standards and updates to approved standards. Groups of employers propose changes to training content, assessment plans and funding bands, which are then reviewed by officials – a process DWP said can currently take 18 months.
The department confirmed every stage of the existing process will remain in place under the reforms, with steps expedited rather than removed.
McFadden said: “Britain’s future depends on getting more young people into good jobs with real prospects. These reforms will slash bureaucracy so we can train people faster in the industries where they’re needed most.
“We need to give more young people a faster route into secure, well-paid work by ensuring British businesses have the talent they need to grow.”
While it is unclear which apprenticeships or courses will be fast-tracked, the announcement emphasised “growth sectors”, “high-quality jobs” and “major projects”.
The new system will “focus on making quick revisions to existing standards, for example updating construction standards in the light of regulatory changes following Grenfell,” DWP said.
The announcement comes alongside wider funding reforms due to take effect from April, which will allow employers to spend levy funds on shorter, non-apprenticeship training called “apprenticeship units” as well as full apprenticeships.
It also lands amid a controversial “streamlining” exercise that could see some apprenticeships removed altogether, as ministers and officials grapple with keeping the apprenticeship budget under control.
Ben Rowland, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, welcomed the promise of a speedier system but warned ministers against limiting reform to high-profile projects.
He said: “AELP welcomes this announcement of a faster, slicker system and our members stand ready to respond and adapt to deliver new and updated programmes.
“Our challenge to government is that if the process can be made quicker and more credible for employers working on major projects, the same approach must be rolled out across the wider skills system, where clunkiness, slowness and misfiring sectoral engagement have been a chronic issue.”
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