Landing apprenticeships is easier said than done for young people

One of the things I’ve loved most during my time at Edge Foundation is seeing interest in apprenticeships bloom among young people. When we were founded over 20 years ago, apprenticeships were seen as a route for “other people’s children”. But we’re now seeing attitudes alter.

A few days ago the latest Youth Voice Census, sponsored by Edge, revealed more than a third of young people think they are likely or very likely to apply for an apprenticeship.

But this interest isn’t being translated into apprenticeship numbers. In fact, the number of under-19s starting apprenticeships has fallen in recent years.

In part, this is driven by a lack of opportunities. Our research has shown that for every young person who gets a place on an apprenticeship, three try but don’t succeed.

So how do we unlock these apprenticeship places? Firstly, as we set out in our new report, Chaos to Coordination, by better signposting opportunities.

The government’s Find an Apprenticeship service is the natural place to start. But almost two in five employers say they have not heard of it (according to our polling with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation), while the Youth Voice Census found just one in five apprentices found their apprenticeship there.

Many employers choose to advertise vacancies on their own websites or, in the case of SMEs, prefer to hire through their existing business networks. The result is that finding opportunities is extraordinarily difficult for young people. They are compelled to trawl through dozens of websites and platforms, all while balancing their studies and without the same support they would get if applying for university.

Our vision is for a true one-stop shop, where employers are required to signpost their opportunities on a single, central platform as a condition of funding, and where prospective applicants can access a wide variety of support. Almost three-quarters of the employers we polled thought this would be useful for them too.

We also want to see the application process itself work better, with a national campaign encouraging employers to align their application windows with the school year, and a new ‘clearing’ system to help match unsuccessful applicants with opportunities at other companies.

We also need to look at increasing the number of apprenticeships available. That means tapping into a market that doesn’t get enough attention – SMEs.

SMEs have historically been the lifeblood of entry-level apprenticeships, offering young people a first step into work, often outside the big cities. Yet since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, SMEs have steadily withdrawn.

The system is designed with big business in mind, and smaller firms often lack the time, money and administrative capacity to navigate it. These businesses deserve the chance to access new talent and grow. But at present, they face too many barriers.

Our second new report, Agents of Change, calls for a national brokerage service to help smaller employers identify their skills needs and navigate the apprenticeship system. When we surveyed SMEs with the help of the REC, 68 per cent said personalised advice and guidance would be a decisive or encouraging factor in whether they chose to hire an apprentice.

Encouragingly, work has already begun on delivering this through the National Apprenticeship Hub Network, a group of around 25 organisations providing free and impartial guidance to businesses. The problem is coverage and consistency. Our vision is a nationally coordinated framework that builds on this existing network, expanding provision and levelling up support so that every small business can benefit.

To bring all this work together, Edge is launching Apprenticeships Work, a campaign to grow apprenticeship opportunities in SMEs by breaking down the barriers they face and expanding support services.

We are incredibly pleased to be working alongside organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses, Amazing Apprenticeships, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, and Specsavers. Together, we will make apprenticeships work.

WorldSkills UK is key to solving our productivity puzzle

Last week, Team UK returned from EuroSkills Herning with six medals. Each medal represented years of hard work and dedication from young people determined to test themselves against the very best in Europe.

It’s a proud moment for the competitors, their families, their training managers and for the UK. As this was my first competition in my capacity as a WorldSkills UK trustee, I felt that pride deeply.

Yet these inspiring moments should also give us pause. There’s been a decline in the number of medals we’ve achieved in recent years and in our international rankings. This trend is not about the team’s capability; they’re as talented and driven as ever. However, it does reflect the environment they are training and competing in. One which has been undermined by deep cuts to WorldSkills UK (WSUK) and skills system funding over many years.

Meanwhile, other countries are doubling down on investment in skills, seeing WorldSkills as a strategic tool to boost competitiveness and productivity.

Despite these funding challenges, WorldSkills UK has worked hard to juggle successive funding cuts by diversifying its income. Today, less than half its revenue comes from the Department for Educatdion, with the rest generated through partnerships and commercial sponsorship. This resilience has been impressive. But there’s more that could be done if the organisation were fully supported across government and industry.

The government regularly talks about its ambition to fix the UK’s productivity problem. If so, then WorldSkills UK should be part of the solution; bringing together government, education and industry in a way few other organisations can.

This is about more than medals. WorldSkills’ true value lies in the pyramid effect it creates across the skills system and economy.

At the very top of the pyramid are the competitors. Those few young people who push themselves to world-class standards. But to get them to that level requires thousands of others: students, apprentices, educators and employers.

For a competitor to succeed, their training manager must be at the cutting edge of both global industry standards and teaching practice. This approach is then taken back into colleges, training providers and workplaces. WSUK embeds this knowledge, raises expectations and drives improvement for countless others who may never compete, but who benefit from the higher standards set.

This is how WorldSkills UK builds capacity across the system. It’s how skills excellence spreads from the competition floor to classrooms and businesses. And it helps tackle one of our most urgent challenges… raising productivity.

The UK cannot afford complacency. Our international colleagues are not standing still. South Korea, Germany, France, Switzerland and China treat WorldSkills as a vital component of their industrial strategy. You can see how seriously they take it by the sheer size of the teams they enter, and ultimately the number of medals they win.

At EuroSkills Herning, entire blocks of several hundred supporters turned out for Team France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, creating a sea of colour and energy. Other European nations, such as Estonia and Hungary, are beginning to dominate in fast-growing areas like IT and communications, reflecting targeted investment and strategy in those fields. Through investing and aligning education and business they will reap the rewards in global competitiveness.

The UK risks treating it as an optional extra. If we allow our involvement with WorldSkills to wither, we send the wrong signal – that we are not serious about investing in our people, our educators or our future.

The government should see WorldSkills for what it is. A proven, international tool for raising standards and boosting productivity.

Employers should partner with WorldSkills UK and invest in the young talent who will drive their businesses forward. Educators should continue to embrace the opportunities competitions provide to innovate and grow.

Team UK’s performance in Herning was inspiring, showing we have great potential. But it also highlights what’s at stake. With well-funded support, those six medals could be the foundation of many more in Shanghai next year and, more importantly, a stronger, more productive UK economy.

WorldSkills is not a luxury. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to waste.

EducationScape is publisher of FE Week.

Stepping back into class after years away is an act of bravery

Returning to education for most adults feels like learning to dance after not being on the dancefloor for years. It rekindles a curiosity that household bills, work and life quietly smothered.

For many adults the barriers in front of them range from feeling too old to simply not having time. But if we want to get people back into education we need to show them the advantages it can bring. And as a teacher, it’s not so much about teaching the subject as inspiring them and rebuilding confidence.

The first job is to remove any stigma that FE is remedial, and instead view it as an admirable act because it demonstrates ambition, dedication and endurance.

Education for most adult learners is not a reset button but an upgrade which can lead to career change, higher pay, personal achievement or simply to learn about what interests them. 

Adults come into class with stories and experience. As a teacher, I view that first step into the classroom as an act of absolute bravery.

An environment that is positive and supportive is vital to encourage them to continue. This can be done with group discussions and fostering a community within a class which maintains motivation.

Modern adult education also needs to be flexible and affordable. It must fit around learners’ lives because if there are clashes, they will give up.

However, this all depends on the course. Workplace learning has 90 per cent retention because the motivation is practical. For community colleges it’s roughly at 40-60 per cent which is mostly due to the emotional and practical demands from working a full-time job and studying. For online courses it’s 5-15 per cent.

Department for Education qualification achievement rate data indicates 81 per cent of adult learners in 2023-2024 achieved their intended qualification.

There is also a rise in learning for personal enrichment, as can be seen with the Adult Participation in Learning Survey in 2024, with 52 per cent of adults engaging in education in the previous three years. This is a growing trend and the highest rate since the survey began in 1996. A blended learning approach such as evening classes, online options and modular learning are key to upskilling adults.

Real-life success stories are also important for recruitment. Many people feel like they left it too late because of an invisible timeline that was constructed by society. But if we start sharing stories about adults who achieved their goals later in life, then we change the narrative. People love to see ‘people like them’ succeed and this can break the ‘it’s too late, what’s the point?’ mindset.

Encouragement for education later in life is also vital for those who may have felt education wasn’t for them at school, or even for those who went to university but found themselves in the wrong field.

I always thought the idea you should know what you want to do in life by 18 or 21 was preposterous. Plus, society and the job market have changed so people often move jobs or fields several times in their lifetime.

Success is not limited by age and therefore neither should education. People develop in their own time and education needs to reflect this.

Adult learners do not yet have the same student finance available to them as 18-year-olds do. Most pay out of their own pockets. However, with the state pension age being raised and the need for more people being upskilled in fields because of technological changes, the lifelong learning entitlement set to be introduced next year cannot come soon enough.

Flexibility must be the norm in adult learning, whether that means online training or rolling start dates. Learning can be integrated into work.

We celebrate students passing exams at 18 or 21, but let’s start applauding those who gain a new qualification at 40 or 60.

Apprenticeships work for adults, but T Levels give teens a better option

As we celebrate the close of another academic year and related exam results, it is clear that the education landscape is shifting.  While apprenticeships remain a popular (and paid) option for young people, T Levels have again gained traction.

At Bradford College, our first T Level cohort to complete this year achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with 80 per cent of our students achieving a distinction grade on the education & early years T Level programme.

So, we arrive at a pivotal moment. This begs the question: should T Levels become the go-to route into work for 16–19-year-olds?

The graduate advantage: what the numbers say

Government data tells the familiar story that graduates still outperform their peers in the job market.  In 2024, 89.4 per cent of graduates were in work compared to much lower rates for those with only Level 2 or 3 qualifications.

Starting salaries reflect this too. Graduates earn around £30,000, while even degree-level apprenticeships start closer to £21,000. The gap widens further for those on intermediate apprenticeships or vocational routes.

Higher education still delivers better outcomes. But the real question is how we help young people to reach that position, especially those for whom university isn’t the right fit. That’s where the efforts of FE need to focus.

T Levels vs apprenticeships: education-first or employment-first?

T Levels flip the apprenticeship model on its head. With 80 per cent classroom learning and 20 per cent industry placement, these newer qualifications prioritise personal and academic development.

Learners build technical knowledge and soft skills communication, problem-solving, and digital literacy – all within a structured, consistent curriculum. The 315-hour placement gives employers a chance to “try before they buy” and gives students a meaningful taste of the workplace.

Apprenticeships, on the other hand, are job-first. They are great for hands-on learners but can be hit-and-miss when it comes to broader development. Success can hinge on the quality of a workplace mentor or the frequency of multiple college contacts – a risky bet for a 16-year-old just starting out.

Progression gaps: are apprenticeships limiting long-term growth?

Progression data paints a worrying picture. It’s harder to move from a Level 2 to a Level 3 apprenticeship than it is to progress from a vocational Level 2 to a T Level or BTEC.

T Levels are increasingly seen as a launchpad to higher apprenticeships, university, or skilled employment. Level 3 apprenticeships? Often a cul-de-sac, with fewer academic progression routes and limited scope to increase earning potential to graduate level.

If we want a workforce that’s both skilled and adaptable, we need to make sure every route offers real progression. Not just a job, but a future.

The Employment Rights Bill: a new hurdle for young workers

The new Employment Rights Bill brings welcome reforms, but also unintended consequences.

With zero-hour contracts scrapped and day-one rights introduced, some employers may think twice about hiring under-18s. Young apprentices, with no previous track record and who require more support and training, could take a hit.

T Levels, with their education-first model and structured placements, may become the safer, more attractive option for employers navigating this new landscape.

T Levels and BTECs for young people; apprenticeships for adults

At Bradford College, we believe it’s time to reframe the conversation. Apprenticeships are increasingly better suited to adults, with life experience and the readiness for full-time work.

For 16–19-year-olds, T Levels and BTECs offer a more supportive, structured environment that builds both technical and personal skills. And the data shows young people thrive in these settings.

In areas like Bradford – the UK city with the highest Universal Credit claimant rate – we must go further. Let’s extend funding for T Levels and BTECs to 18–23-year-olds.

Over 5,000 young people here are not in work or training. Shockingly, that’s 11 per cent of our youth who are under-skilled, under-supported and overlooked.

Investing in education-first pathways for this demographic isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart economics too. Reducing unemployment, boosting local resilience and easing pressure on an apprenticeship budget that overspent by £123 million last year can only be a positive move.

Prison education cuts will punish those most failed by the system

Last week, the Ministry of Justice published some important new research that, by linking prison data with schools data, explored the backgrounds and past educational experiences of the people in England’s prisons.

The findings of this research won’t surprise anyone who has worked in a prison. It confirms that people in prison disproportionately come from disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, it found that 93 per cent of people in prison had lived in the most deprived 20 per cent of areas in the country as children, 59 per cent had been eligible for free school meals and 14 per cent had been in care.

It also found that nearly four in five (78 per cent) had special educational needs identified while attending school, and 18 per cent had had a statement of special educational needs or an education health and care plan (suggesting a higher level of need). In the general population the equivalent figures are 12-23 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

The research also shows that people in prison frequently had very disrupted experiences of school. More than half (56 per cent) had been persistently absent from school (missing more than 10 per cent of sessions in at least one academic year), including 15 per cent who were severely absent (missing more than 50 per cent of sessions). Fourteen per cent had been permanently excluded from school.

Finally, they had far fewer academic qualifications than their peers. Nearly one in five (18 per cent) had not achieved any GCSE passes by end of key stage 4, compared to less than 5 per cent of the general population). Just 9 per cent had achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C by the end of key stage 4; for the general population it was 52-80 per cent.

All of this shows that people in prison have grown up in tough circumstances and have too often been failed by the school system. As a result, they have far lower levels of literacy and numeracy than the general population. As Ofsted and the prisons inspectorate have highlighted, many people in prison struggle with reading, filling out forms and the many other tasks that make day-to-day life, let alone a job, manageable.

Time spent in prison could be a chance to address this. But at the same time as this research was published, news emerged that some prisons are facing very substantial cuts in their education budgets. Although some of the upcoming changes are driven by money moving between prisons and between local and national provision, the Prison Governors’ Association has suggested education budgets will be cut by at least 5 per cent in real terms for most prisons.

This, with no fat left to cut in the system alongside rising costs and a growing prison population, will undoubtedly lead to prisons being forced to offer less than they have done even in recent years. This is a serious misstep. Prison education can be central to rehabilitation, with the Ministry of Justice’s own research showing how important it is. People who participate in education in prison are more likely to get a job on release and less likely to reoffend. At Prisoners’ Education Trust, our learners consistently tell us that education also helps their mental health and wellbeing.

But prison education is currently nowhere near good enough. Education in more than half of prisons was rated inadequate by Ofsted last year, and is already chronically underfunded. As a result, prison education departments are overstretched and under-resourced, particularly when you consider the high levels of need that they are working to address. Budget cuts will only further damage services that are already struggling, making it impossible to deliver the sort of personalised, supportive approach that is needed.

New contracts for prison education that begin next month are an opportunity for a fresh start. But without more money it’s difficult to see them leading to any real improvements, and budget cuts are surely unsustainable. The government should therefore look again at how they can not just reverse these cuts but actually increase funding for prison education, enabling more people to gain the skills and qualifications they need to turn their lives around.

Confirmed: Skills England moved to DWP from today

Skills England will become part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from today, the prime minister has confirmed.

In a written ministerial statement, Sir Keir Starmer said apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training and careers, and the newly created agency Skills England will all now be controlled by DWP.

However, responsibility for higher education, and further education, skills, training and careers for those “aged 19 years and under” will remain at the Department for Education (DfE).

The prime minister’s statement on the machinery of government change is the first official confirmation of the Whitehall power shift since news first emerged during the reshuffle that followed deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s resignation 11 days ago.

It comes days after FE Week revealed apprenticeships would be controlled by DWP and ahead of a long-awaited post-16 skills education and skills white paper, due this term.

Skills England is a newly created executive agency which officially came into being in June this year, with the aim of understanding the country’s skills needs, simplifying access to skills to boost growth and mobilising employers and other partners to create solutions to skills needs.

Newly appointed work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has said he will be “expanding” access to skills training in a bid to lower the government’s benefit bill and bring down stubbornly high numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

In an interview with FE Week last week, Smith said the move will mean a “bigger emphasis on skills” which will be “integrated” with the labour market.

Sector experts see the alignment of skills and employment support policies as long needed, but details of how exactly the government plans to do so in a way that increases growth, productivity and employment rates are yet to emerge.

Some have also voiced concerns that moving the skills brief to the DWP risks being another “upheaval” that distracts ministers and officials from their goals.

Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said: “We are adding skills to the job description of the Department for Work and Pensions as we accelerate our drive to Get Britain Working.

“By equipping people with the skills they need, we will build a workforce that is fit for the future and support people off benefits and into jobs.

“Our renewed focus comes as we deliver the biggest overhaul of jobcentres in a generation and a £240 million investment to boost employment.”

Where’s the front door?

Skills England co-chief executive Sarah Maclean told MPs the move to DWP “really makes sense.”

Maclean was providing evidence to the business and trade select committee as this story went live (see clip below).

Eagle-eyed Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds asked: “FE Week have just reported Skills England will be moving into DWP … Why are we splitting skills between the DWP and the Department for Education? Is this not just going to confuse everyone 10 times more than we’re already confused?”

He continued: “Where’s the front door? In the last 40 minutes you’ve used words like colleges, training, learning and teaching. When I hear those words I think Department for Education, yet Skills England comes under the Department for Work and Pensions. Where do people go to? Is there anyone who’s actually responsible, or is this just another area where it’s going to get caught in the crossfire between ministers back and forth?”

Maclean pointed to Smith’s role as a joint-minister in both departments and insisted “the front door for skills is Skills England”.

She explained: “I think the division of responsibilities between education and work and pensions actually brings some real benefits, particularly bringing skills closer to work policy. For example, our Skills England vision is better skills for better jobs. I think if you’re seeing it through that lens, it really makes sense.”

Business and trade committee

T Level funding to be lagged from 2027

Funding allocations for T Levels will be lagged from 2027, the Department for Education has confirmed. 

Guidance published this week says allocations for colleges and schools will be based “solely on student numbers from the start of the previous year”. It means the use of estimated student numbers will end, but in-year reconciliation will continue. The current registration process for new T Level providers will also be scrapped.

The change will bring T Levels in line with other 16 to 19 study programmes, which are already funded through a lagged model. It means a college’s T Level funding allocation for academic year 2027-28 will be based on the number of students the college says it has in its individualised learner record (ILR) data return (R04) in November 2026.

T Level allocations are currently worked out using “carry-over” students from ILR and provider estimates of new starters submitted each autumn. Those estimates are then checked against actual enrolments later in the year. Funding is then adjusted through a reconciliation process. 

T Level recruitment has repeatedly fallen short of expectations. A National Audit Office report earlier this year found starts on the flagship qualifications were as much as 75 per cent below government targets. 

Funding colleges based on last year’s students rather than estimates gives colleges some certainty over how much funding they’ll get, but can also leave them exposed to financial risks if student numbers rise suddenly.

Lagged flaws

Colleges are currently grappling with surging numbers of 16 to 19 year olds, with DfE placing limits on how much growth can be funded in-year.

 Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said there was an  “administrative logic” to the T Level funding change, but “only if we’re at a point where enrolment levels are fairly predictable and manageable.” 

He told FE Week: “The main 16-18 funding system works well in some respects in that it gives colleges a year to adjust their staffing and costs to take account of changing enrolment numbers but it’s working badly in other respects because there is a rising population of young people, an increasing demand for technical subjects, DfE’s budgets are fixed on an April to March cycle and student choices aren’t confirmed until the second half of August.

“Meanwhile fixed budgets and rising demand leave thousands of young people without places each autumn.”

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 506

Christian Thersby

Principal, West Lancashire College

Start date: July 2025

Previous job: Vice Principal, Carlisle College (NCG)

Interesting fact: As a keen mountain biker, Christian has competed in Megavalanche, one of the most dangerous mountain bike races in the world, held annually in the French Alps

Debbie Houghton

Group Principal, Apprenticeships, Partnerships and Innovation, Capital City College

Start date: August 2025

Previous job: Interim Director for Work Based Learning, Gower College Swansea

Interesting fact: Outside of work, Debbie is family person at heart with a passion for the arts, travel, and culinary experiences – interests that align perfectly with the creative remit of this role

Fadumo Mohammad

Assistant Principal, Lewisham College

Start date: August 2025

Previous job: Head of ESOL, Young and YEFE, Lewisham College

Interesting fact: Fadumo’s passion for teaching, coupled with a love of travel, led her to spend four weeks in rural Tanzania training teachers during a summer break – an experience that inspired her journey into quality and leadership

Jarvis Training collapse followed damning Ofsted verdict

An independent training provider was hit with Ofsted’s lowest possible grade weeks before announcing its closure.

Liverpool-based Jarvis Training Management (JTM) received ‘inadequate’ grades for overall effectiveness, quality of education, leadership and management, adult learning programmes and apprenticeships in a damning inspection report published today. 

It comes a week after JTM, and its owner Woodspeen Training, announced they had ceased trading, blaming the Department for Education’s (DfE) apprenticeships accountability framework.

Pair of Swiss-owned training providers suddenly close

Inspectors visited JTM in July and found the “large majority” of apprentices in training quit before completing, and “almost half” of those remaining were making slow progress and were unlikely to complete on time.

On its adult learning courses, just under two-thirds of learners “had fallen considerably behind” in their studies and had not achieved their qualifications. A “significant proportion” of learners had dropped out, and for those that stayed, “too few learners regularly attend”.

Governance at the provider was described as “weak”. Attempts by a new leadership team to improve standards had “not had the desired impact”. Leaders also did not identify learners falling behind or take action to help them catch up, with inspectors warning apprentices were “not challenged to achieve their full potential”.

The watchdog concluded the quality of education had “declined significantly” since the previous inspection in 2022. 

JTM was awarded a ‘requires improvement’ judgment for behaviour and attitudes and a ‘good’ for personal development. Safeguarding was ‘effective’.

At the time of the inspection, JTM had 422 adult learners on personal training, early years and beauty therapy courses. JTM’s 251 apprentices in learning at the time of the inspection were studying a range of early years, education and care standards from levels 2 to 5. Over half were aged under 19.

JTM was approached for comment.

Closure explained

Woodspeen Training and JTM, owned by the same Swiss investment firm, announced their closures last week ahead of the publication of today’s Ofsted report. Around 175 staff were employed by the providers, according to Companies House. 

A spokesperson at the time said their collapse followed “recent Department for Education decisions under the apprenticeships accountability framework”.

They added: “The outcome reflects historic performance challenges, particularly around timeliness measures that lag behind recent operational improvements. Our priority now is to work closely with the department [for education] to transfer learners smoothly to alternative providers and support staff through the transition.”

Under the DfE’s apprenticeship accountability framework, training providers judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted can face immediate contract termination.