Pearson is planting the seed for sustainability talent with new HTQ

Business change driven by consumer demand for sustainability

Addressing the sustainability imperative has proven to be profitable for business. The fact that over the past 5 years, 89% of people have made changes in their purchases to buy more sustainable products (Statista, 2022) further reinforces the growing need to consider the impact of sustainable initiatives across all aspects of business. Society is currently going through an ‘eco-awakening’ with research suggesting that we are on the brink of a major shift in patterns of consumption (HBR, 2023). It is clear that there is a strong correlation between focusing on the planet and people, and a direct impact in the growth of profits.

Environmental impact can no longer be an afterthought that businesses try to mitigate against. It must be considered and woven into the fabric of decision making throughout every stage, process and level. Businesses that are starting to achieve this now will have a solid foundation for future success. Cristianne Close (Global Markets Practice Leader, WWF International) stated that

“brands that deliver on pursuit of purpose, that drive a culture of sustainable innovation, are the front runners in consumers’ eyes – and they are watching”.

Cristianne Close
The green talent gap

A recent study has highlighted that many businesses are struggling to source the talent to drive environmental change, and “with demand for sustainability talent outpacing supply, it is increasingly difficult to recruit skilled individuals, thus stalling progress on sustainability goals” (Gartner, 2024).

Employers need to find and develop managers who can motivate, enthuse and build respect throughout their workforce. Addressing these skills gaps, as well as creating a skilled pipeline of recruits familiar with sustainable business practices, will help to grow a workforce better equipped to help achieve sustainability goals, carbon emission reductions, and net zero targets.

Major consumer brands such as Unilever, Patagonia, IKEA, Microsoft, Danone, Nestle, and Tesla have led the way in making serious commitments and progress toward sustainability goals, creating dedicated job roles for specialists in sustainability. According to LinkedIn (2020) there were 10% more job postings and a 7.5% increase in members with ‘sustainability’ in their title. The current trend in hiring dedicated corporate social responsibility/sustainable practitioners is growing.

As the world’s leading learning company, creating a more sustainable world is a natural part of everything that Pearson does. Learning itself is the greatest force for change in our world and helping people gain knowledge and skills is, inherently, a way to improve our planet and our society.  Pearson achieves this every day by turning products into vibrant learning experiences, focusing on people, and protecting our planet, forming the bedrock of their Sustainable Business Strategy.

How Pearson is bridging the sustainability skills gap

Pearson’s new Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) in Sustainable Business Management is one way learners can develop the skills employers need to meet their sustainability goals. The Higher National Diploma (HND) includes modules in Principles of Sustainability, Corporate Governance and Ethics, and The Contemporary Business Environment.

The aim is to help students develop sustainable business management skills and the knowledge and understanding to deliver sustainable business activities and drive the sustainability agenda. The units within the qualification also cover areas such as green accounting, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, supply chain management, virtue ethics, leadership and management, emotional intelligence and much more. No matter which sector graduates choose to enter, having a qualification in Sustainable Business Management will be invaluable in helping companies to set, implement, and achieve sustainable development goals.

Dr Paul Pritchard (Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership), one of the independent consultants for the qualification development stated that:

“Sustainability is rightly being seen by organisations as a critical issue- meeting legal requirements and beyond that supporting innovation leading to improvements in operational efficiencies and identification of new business models. The need for development of sustainability skills is also widely recognised, not least in underpinning future career opportunities for employees. Accordingly, it has been a pleasure working with the Pearson team on the Sustainable Business Management qualification, which I consider to be a valuable contribution to meeting the current and future sustainability education needs of the workforce. I am convinced that these qualifications will be important, not only through their benefit to employers but also reflecting the increasing interest in sustainability issues I see at the level of the individual employee.”

Dr Paul Pritchard

Pearson’s Level 5 BTEC Higher National Diploma in Sustainable Business Management is one of the latest qualifications to be awarded with HTQ status from The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). Pearson’s HTQ portfolio is continuing to grow, offering high quality subjects across a broad range of sectors.

You can find out more about HTQs by visiting the Pearson website.

‘Elite’ Star and Eton sixth forms reveal ‘clearing house’ careers role

The new “elite” sixth forms run by leading academy trust Star and Eton College will provide a “clearing house” role to help bright pupils in their areas to stay in education.

The organisations made a raft of commitments today, announcing they have formed a new “think and do” tank called the Eton Star Partnership to “seek solutions to systemic challenges”.

The group’s first report found more than 5,000 youngsters with at least an A in English and maths in 2013 did not go on to get a university degree by the age of 25 (9 per cent of the cohort).

While many of these youngsters went on to do the equivalent of what is now a degree apprenticeship, the report said university alternative pathways are too “small scale”.

The report said the “system must be able to scale up different and legitimate post-16 options for some, including those who perform academically well at GCSE”. A “better system of ‘second chances’ will benefit this group, and others too”.

Star and Eton have been given government approval to open three selective sixth forms in Dudley, Middlesbrough, and Oldham to help get more bright pupils into top universities.

Alongside the sixth forms, they will open education research centres (centres for innovation and learning research, CIRLs) which will work to “identify talented young students in years 10 and 11 – and even earlier – and to work with their schools on an intervention programme to encourage them to stay in structured post-16 environments after GCSE”.

“Such environments will include our college but will not be limited to that; we want to also act as a clearing house for pathways to local degree apprenticeship opportunities and other post 16 and post 18 pathways, working with local colleges, university outreach partnerships, and all others in this space”.

‘Clear information and guidance offer’

Outreach work through the CIRLs will also provide a “clear information and guidance offer to better inform these cohorts about what their options are”. 

“Alongside this, we will deliver a programme in 11-16 education not just of academic support, but of character education, leadership, and aspirations – such that talented students recognise the options open to them, and are less likely to disengage”.

Sir Hamid Patel
Sir Hamid Patel

More than 100 schools already get support through the Eton X digital platform.

The partnership has also pledged to help deliver “intervention structures” and “intensive support” at partner schools after GCSE results are issued to stop bright pupils “drifting into post 16 education without much clear idea”. 

“That four to six week period after results is an intense time when decisions can be made and pathways shown, backed by actual, rather than forecast results.”

Sir Hamid Patel, chief executive of Star, said the “partnership is an incredibly strong one, with foundations in both a shared vision for education and in tangible delivery”.

The partnership has committed to publish research shedding new insight in key barriers, gather influential leaders to enrich CPD and drive policy and put its research into practice.

AAC Apprenticeship Awards winners 2024 revealed

A special black-tie ceremony at the end of the tenth annual apprenticeship conference (AAC) saw exceptional individuals, training providers, employers, universities and colleges recognised for their excellence in the apprenticeship world.

The AAC awards ceremony, delivered in partnership with City and Guilds, attracted a record 380 nominations across the 20 categories, with 21 winners being announced and eight organisations recognised as highly commended.

Among the winners of the prestigious trophies were BPP Education Group, which was named apprenticeship provider of the year, and Torus, who won the large apprentice employer of the year award and Hob Salons Ltd, who fought off three other competitors for SME apprentice employer of the year.

BPP Education Group also won the award for legal, finance and accounting apprenticeship provider of the year.

Taking home the gong for care services apprenticeship provider of the year was Apprenticeships at Salford City College.

Elsewhere, providers in sectors such as digital, construction, agriculture and hospitality were awarded for their exceptional apprenticeship programmes.

The evening began with a special recognition award to Dr Christopher Jones, a former Ofsted special adviser for apprenticeships. Dr Jones has had a two-decade long career as a teacher in schools, colleges, initial teacher education and ITPs.

The winners were announced at the tenth Annual Apprenticeship Conference gala dinner this evening at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

It follows a Parliamentary reception earlier this month where the finalists were announced at the House of Commons.

Shane Mann, chief executive of FE Week’s publisher EducationScape and AAC awards co-host, said: “As chair of the judging panel, I am proud to say we were inundated by the number and quality of the nominations we received.

“Great apprenticeships are a testament to dedicated professionals in employers and training providers. Our winners demonstrate the excellent work that goes into putting the apprentice experience at the heart of everything they do.

“Tonight showcased the very best the apprenticeships sector has to offer. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to our team of amazing judges, sponsors and partners. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The winners in full are listed below:

Halfon quizzed on levy funding gap, FSQ woes and 5% co-investment future

As FE Week’s tenth annual apprenticeship conference draws to a close, deputy editor Billy Camden quizzes skills minister Robert Halfon on some of the big issues facing apprenticeships.

Q. The gap between how much the levy generates versus how much is distributed for spending on apprenticeships by Treasury is in the hundreds of millions, and growing. Does this disparity frustrate you and are you lobbying Treasury to increase DfE’s budget?

Well, first of all, I’m very proud of the apprenticeship budget because I do think spending £2.7 billion a year from 2024-25 is a huge whack of money to spend on apprenticeships. Of course, I’ll always champion for more funding to go to apprenticeships. The budget has always been set by the Treasury, significant chunks go to the devolved authorities and that is right they spend it how they wish.

I also think it’s worth pointing out all the extra multimillion pound packages there are for things like the bootcamp and other adult learning courses. So I think if you look at it in the round, there’s a hefty amount of money being spent on skills and a hefty amount of money being spent on apprenticeships.

Q. So do you think the budget Treasury distributes for spending on apprenticeships is fair despite the disparity between what is allocated and what is actually generated?

Look, Treasury will always set the budget. I think spending £2.7 billion on apprenticeships, and on top of that all the hundreds of millions of pounds we’re spending on adult skills offerings as well, is a good a good amount of funding. That doesn’t mean we won’t always champion for more resources.

Q. FE Week understands there are discussions between Number 10, Treasury and DfE to potentially restrict levy spending on higher-level apprenticeships, particularly in the level 7 arena. Are those discussions still ongoing?

I never discuss what private discussions have allegedly said this, or somebody has allegedly said that, but what I would say is we of course review apprenticeships all the time. For example, we took out the MBA component from the level 7 senior leader a few years ago. 

Q. You say you are determined for the apprenticeship levy to “remain the Ronseal Levy”, but we know the government is keen to address falling starts in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Is the government going to scrap the 5% co-investment for SMEs?

Firstly, I genuinely cannot fathom or understand the plans by the Labour Party to open the levy up to fund other forms of training. It would take apprenticeships back to square one and I just think they don’t understand that.

It is a fair point that you make that we want to do much better by SMEs and to increase the starts in SMEs. I’m doing a lot of work on that. We’ve removed the cap since I’ve been a minister. That is a big thing. I mean, I was amazed there even was one to be honest. We’ve cut regulation and red tape by reducing the number of steps for SMEs to set up an account or take on apprentices by a third. We’re slashing funding rules for providers and employers, we’re working with the HMRC to share government data on apprentices. So it’s the beginning of a lot of work which I call operation machete, to drive down regulation for apprenticeships and for providers.

Q. But is the government planning to scrap the current 5 per cent co-investment for SMEs?

I can’t give you an answer on that at this time.

Q. A hot topic at our conference has been functional skills, including unsustainable funding despite the recent uplift, widespread content concerns and the rigid rules that force apprentices to study the qualifications and lead to huge dropouts. Does the government understand the concerns from providers, apprentices and employers and what is it doing to address them?

I’m glad that you mentioned the 54 per cent funding rate uplift, that is a significant increase in funding.

I think that it is absolutely vital that everybody has basic qualifications in maths and English. They are the most important subjects. We’re always looking at functional skills and whether or not they can be better, that’s absolutely something that I will always look at. But the principle of it, I think is the right one.

Q. Another theme at AAC has involved the apprenticeship assessment system. Some have called for a change to the current set-up of having an independent market of EPAOs. Is this an area the DfE is considering?

I think end-point assessment is important. We’re integrating the end-point assessment with the qualifications which has been a problem. I absolutely believe in endpoint assessment. I’m happy to listen to the arguments but I think, again, the principle of it is really important.

10 colleges honoured at 2023/24 AoC Beacon Awards

Ten of the “best and most innovative” FE colleges have been announced as winners of this year’s prestigious Association of Colleges Beacon Awards.

Stand-out initiatives supporting asylum seekers and refugees, embedding green skills and improving student mental health and well-being were honoured today at a ceremony in Westminster.

The awards come on day two of this year’s Colleges Week.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said this year’s winners were “truly inspiring”.

“Shining through the many challenges of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, colleges and their staff show through these awards just how hard they work, skilfully and expertly to support learners achieve their ambitions and realise their talents. It is truly inspiring that regardless of the challenges colleges remain innovative and dedicated to providing the best support to students and employers and their communities,” he said.

AoC’s Beacon Awards recognise excellence across a range of categories including student support, use of technology, good governance and widening participation. 

Taking home the prize for excellence in careers and enterprise this year was Middlesbrough College. Judges said the college’s use of employer advisory panels means students had an up-to-date and “impactful” curriculum. 

Bridgwater and Taunton College, New College Durham, Barnsley College, Hull College and Gower College Swansea were also among this year’s winners. 

This year’s education for sustainable development prize went to Suffolk New College for the “transformation” of their enrichment programmes, curriculum development and capital investment which have delivered a “sustainability mindset” on campus. 

Robert Halfon, minister for skills, joined in praising this year’s award winners: “Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Beacon Awards. As we witness the expansion of high-quality technical training offers, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Skills Bootcamps, colleges are essential in delivering exceptional teaching and the best outcomes for their students.

“Our country’s colleges are truly some of the best, with around 93% rated good or outstanding by Ofsted last year. The colleges recognised in these awards are leading the way, demonstrating how innovative skills programmes are providing more and more people with a chance to climb the ladder of opportunity towards high-skilled jobs fit for the future.”

Full list of winners 

The AoC Award for Excellence in Governance: East Kent Colleges Group (EKC Group) and Barnsley College

The AoC Award for Widening Participation: Gower College Swansea

The Careers & Enterprise Company Award for Excellence in Careers and Enterprise: Middlesbrough College 

The City & Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers: New College Durham

The Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning: Education Partnership North East 

The Inenco Award for Education for Sustainable Development: Suffolk New College

The Jisc Award for Effective Use of Digital Technology in Further Education: Hull College

The NOCN Group Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing: Barnsley College 

The RCU Award for Support for Students: Bridgwater & Taunton College

Reforms risk rise in NEETS, says youth education commission

Government policy on English and maths resits and reforms to technical qualifications are putting young people at risk of becoming NEET, a new report suggests.

The commission on post-16 education and training, led by Youth Employment UK, has proposed a “young person’s entitlement” which would give every young person a personalised route through qualifications and into employment.

Its report, published today during the Annual Apprenticeship Conference, found too much “complex” policy focus on level 3 and above qualifications and excluded large groups of young people, including some learners with SEND, learning at lower levels.

The commission also slammed the government’s English and maths GCSE resit policy for putting “many young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training)”.

For young apprentices, the report said it was “costly and time consuming” for employers to support them to reach English and maths standards. They said this was likely to “restrict social mobility” because “many” employers would rather insist on level 2 English and maths standards as entry criteria.

The commission called on the government to allow more young people to take lower level English and maths courses, including those without an EHCP or formal SEND diagnosis.

This comes as the government doubles down on its compulsory English and maths resit policy.

A new minimum teaching hours requirement for English and maths was announced during half term alongside the phased removal of the 5 per cent condition of funding tolerance.

Beyond ABS

In 2022, 8.4 per cent of 16-18-year-olds were NEET, up from 7 per cent the year before.

The report outlined concerns that too many young people were not receiving “appropriate” careers education and work experience, which can lead to learners picking the wrong pathway and increased dropout rates.

To produce recommendations, the commission identified Kettering and Darlington as two areas with average youth unemployment in England.

The commission found local concerns that DfE does not have “sufficiently fine-grained data to know how qualifications reform is impacting on young people”.

“It is disadvantaged students who are most likely to find themselves with no, or unsuitable, pathways,” the report said.

The commission made several recommendations for the short term. These include pausing and reviewing plans to defund qualifications and reviewing compulsory English and maths resits.

It also recommended to “work with employers to make English and maths an exit, rather than entry, requirement particularly for apprenticeships, and provide resources and funding to enable young people to achieve that”.

The commission agreed with the government’s intention to develop the Advanced British Standard but stressed that “too many young people could fall through the gaps” once rolled out.

“There’s some really good stuff in [the ABS], but actually, it’s very level three focused,” Laura-Jane Rawlings, CEO of Youth Employment UK, told delegates at the AAC 2024.

“What happens to our entry-level – level 1 and level 2 – I wanted to develop our commission showing the Young Person’s Entitlement, which is a step after the ABS that includes everybody.”

Its recommendation for the long term was a more “flexible” form of post-16 education called the young person’s entitlement.

“Our recommendations are for post-16 education and skills, but we believe that the young person’s entitlement should also underpin a review of KS4 curriculum,” the report added.

The framework encompasses four reforms: 

  1. Clear pathways for young people who want to move into apprenticeships, and supported apprenticeships for those who require them.
  2. A meaningful programme of work experience, at different ages and stages of the learner journey, from the earliest ages possible, and a clear understanding of what makes for good work/industry placements.
  3. A progressive careers programme that is embedded in school and college provision, supporting pupils from an early age to make the best choices. 
  4. English and maths qualifications that are proportionate to pupils’ level of study and course content, and properly embedded in all pathways including apprenticeships.

Rawlings added: “During the commission, the plans for an Advanced British Standard were announced and so the commission used the evidence gathered to also look at long-term education and skills reform. And I am delighted to bring to this Report the Young Person’s Entitlement, a new framework for post-16 education. 

“The entitlement puts young people back at the heart of the education and skills system, and sets a bold and ambitious plan for realising a system that will meet the needs of the learner, employer and the future world, whatever that may look like in 10 or 20 years’ time.”

Labour’s levy won’t devalue apprenticeships, Malhotra claims

Labour’s proposed reform of the apprenticeship levy to fund other types of training will not “devalue” apprenticeships, the shadow skills minister has claimed.

Seema Malhotra attempted to reassure today’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference that plans for a “growth and skills levy” present “pretty broad opportunities” to training providers while insisting that the money is there to expand the scheme.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has announced his intention to reform the apprenticeship levy so that it can be spent on other types of training if the party comes into power.

The “growth and skills levy” would allow businesses to use 50 per cent of their funds to pay for non-apprenticeship training. 

Sector leaders have warned that such a plan threatens to devalue apprenticeships and there is a danger that employers might be driven to the easiest training option.

The current government’s attack line also claims that Labour’s plan would limit the country to 140,000 apprenticeship starts per year – around half the current rate.

But Malhotra, who was appointed as Labour’s shadow skills minister in September, rejected the concerns.

She told today’s conference: “I don’t think that’s likely at all, and I’ll give you my reasons why. 

“Firstly, we’ve said 50 per cent of the levy would still, as a minimum need to be spent on apprenticeships. And in actual fact, that is probably about what is currently spent by many employers. 

“The proposal is actually greater flexibility for different types of courses because we are hearing that a broad range of adult skills and retraining, where it’s not always possible to deliver an apprenticeship, that having more modular and more stackable courses [is desired]. Those are pretty broad opportunities for training providers. 

“I don’t think it will be a replacement, I think it [the growth and skills levy] will be a really important valuable addition that will also keep our skills system competitive, and create the best possible choices that we need for our learner.”

Labour would continue 95% SME co-investment

Experts have also warned Labour’s growth and skills levy would swallow up funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which are funded by the levy as well as large firms.

In June 2023, then shadow skills minister Toby Perkins committed to additional spending for a ringfenced budget for apprenticeships in SMEs.

Asked today if that commitment from the shadow Treasury team was still in place, Malhotra wouldn’t give a direct answer but pointed out there are billions of pounds of funding generated by the apprenticeship levy that has either not been allocated for spending on apprenticeships or clawed back by Treasury.

She also made clear in her speech that for SMEs who do not currently pay the apprenticeship levy, under Labour they will continue to receive 95 per cent co-payments.

UCAS aims for September 2024 rollout of apprenticeship tariff points

Apprenticeships will finally qualify for UCAS tariff points from the next academic year, the admissions service has revealed.

UCAS’s apprenticeship lead Lindsay Conroy told today’s tenth annual apprenticeship conference (AAC) in Birmingham to expect a public consultation on adding UCAS points to apprenticeships by May.

Conroy said UCAS has “a view” for the plans to be ready for September of this year.

This time last year at AAC, then-UCAS chief executive Clare Marchant announced that the organisation was working on greenlighting tariff points for apprenticeships by the end of 2023.

The delay appears to be due to the “challenging” education environment across the UK and UCAS having to consult with regulators and stakeholders.

“As you can imagine, it’s challenging because we cross all four nations and education is devolved so what we don’t want to do is disadvantage any learners,” explained Conroy.

“We’re in a position where we have a model that we think works. We’re going through some engagement at the moment and regulators and stakeholders.”

A public document is expected to come out for consultation this April or May, Conroy said, adding that students should be able to rollout the scheme by September 2024.

Post-16 level 3 qualifications have attributed UCAS points to determine entry criteria for university courses, such as levels, T Levels, BTECs and Cambridge Technicals.

Apprenticeships will be the latest qualification to carry UCAS points, but it is not yet clear how many points apprenticeships may be eligible for.

When asked if the points system will bring parity of esteem to apprenticeships compared with other post-16 routes, Conroy admitted it is not “the whole answer”.

“I think that requires a lot of work from all across the sector to bring true parity, but it’s part of it because it provides a signal to people that this pathway has routes and avenues,” she told AAC.

The move forms part of the government’s ambitions to make UCAS a “one-stop shop” for education and training.

Earlier in October last year, UCAS launched an apprenticeships service, showing students apprenticeship vacancies listed alongside higher education courses. It plans to allow students to apply for apprenticeships through its website from 2024/25.

Scrap the levy transfer cap, say business leaders

Less than three per cent of apprenticeship-levy paying businesses have transferred funds to pay for apprenticeships in smaller employers, sparking calls for the 25 per cent transfer cap to be scrapped.

New figures have emerged in a response to a written parliamentary question from skills minister Robert Halfon that reveal 580 businesses used the apprenticeship levy transfer scheme to allocate part of their generated funds to non-levy paying employers in 2022/23.

That equates to just 2.7 per cent of levy-paying businesses.

Levy-paying businesses can choose to hand up to 25 per cent of their apprenticeship levy to fund apprenticeships in other businesses.

The proportion of transfers to non-levy businesses has risen steadily, according to Halfon’s data, from two per cent in 2020/21, to 2.5 per cent in 2021/22, and 2.7 per cent in 2022/23.

However, the policy has “struggled to talk off”, according to Simon Ashworth, director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP).

The transfer scheme could be made redundant altogether if the government scraps the requirement for small businesses to pay five per cent of apprenticeship training costs, especially now there is no longer a cap on the number of starts in SMEs.

Ashworth said: “AELP believes that scrapping the remaining five per cent co-investment requirement in the spring budget would not only remove a barrier for more SMEs to benefit from apprenticeships but also negate the need for levy transfer completely. This would mean a simpler and streamlined system for both employer and providers.”

Transfers don’t have to go to smaller, non-levy paying businesses, but the scheme is often cited as a mechanism to help small businesses take on apprentices.

In his reply to a question from Luke Evans MP, Halfon said the Department for Education’s data isn’t specific enough to differentiate between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and non-levy employers, but did confirm the majority of non-levy businesses on the digital apprenticeship service are SMEs.

Halfon added some employers make full use of their funds, so have no funds to transfer.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said apprenticeships in small businesses have halved since the levy was introduced.

Tina McKenzie, policy and advocacy chair at the FSB, told FE Week: “There is a big opportunity to further improve the number of businesses transferring their levy funds and to make sure large businesses are supporting small businesses in their supply chain to take on more apprentices.

“Our members are telling us it’s tough to get that funding and when they do, they’re hitting a wall with a 25 per cent cap on what they can actually receive. That cap needs to be scrapped to get more money flowing where it’s needed.”

Justine Greening, who introduced the levy when education secretary, called for the transfer cap to increase from 25 per cent to 40 per cent last year.

The DfE said the transfer scheme gives levy-payers more choice on how they spend their funds and allows them to support businesses in their supply chains or help meet other local or sector-specific skills needs.

FE Week analysis of apprenticeship starts through the transfer scheme reveals that while most go to non-levy paying employers, a sizable proportion go to other levy payers.

In 2022/23, 61 per cent of the 9,451 starts funded through a transfer were in a non-levy employer and 39 per cent was in a fellow levy-payer that could have, for example, already maxed out its own levy. 

There have been 28,003 transferred starts since the scheme was introduced in 2018/19. Of those, 17,200, 61 per cent, of starts were aged 25 and over. Just nine per cent of starts through the transfer scheme have gone to apprentices aged under 19.

Our analysis also shows that most apprentices funded through the transfer scheme to date, 51 per cent, work in health, public services and care. The next most popular subject area was business, administration and law making up 18 per cent of starts to date.

The DfE said the transfer policy remains under review.