Katy found fame earlier this year when her tattoo of explorer Ernest Shackleton was featured in a Sky News story about Antarctica’s penguin post office
Jillian Gillespie
Chief Financial Officer, Multiverse
Start date: November 2024
Previous job: Senior VP Finance and Operations, MongoDB
Jillian loves learning and trying new things, whether that’s an instrument, a language or something else, which is what attracted her to this role at Multiverse
The government has been urged to clarify a new clause in apprenticeship contracts that suggests struggling small providers could be terminated without the chance to improve.
Under the apprenticeship provider agreement, the Department for Education has the discretion to impose intervention requirements, such as improvement targets, on training organisations that miss accountability framework quality standards.
But a new variation to the agreement published this week suggests providers could immediately lose contracts if their size is “disproportionate” to the resources needed to monitor an improvement.
In section 6.2 of the agreement, which outlines “what intervention, if any” the DfE can take, new clause 6.2.5 says officials will consider: “If the resource the department must commit to manage this agreement is disproportionate to (i) the total number of apprentices that are/were supported in the current, or prior academic year; and/or (ii) the total number of apprentices that are/were supported in a non-priority area in the current or prior academic year.”
DfE’s updated apprenticeship agreement
Power to terminate
Tony Allen, a former Education and Skills Funding Agency contract manager, and fellow consultant Paul Blackshaw, both suggested the changes give the department “even more power to terminate”.
Blackshaw told FE Week the clause is “clearly open to interpretation” and called on the DfE to explain and quantify its meaning.
He said: “In the meantime it will undoubtedly be perceived as positioning smaller providers at greater risk of termination.
“Apprenticeship providers, like any responsible contractor, should be entitled to agreements that are transparent in their meaning and with fair and reasonable terms that bring about mutual respect and longevity.”
The DfE declined to respond when asked what sized company would be “disproportionate” and define “non-priority” areas, but added the accountability framework ensured any intervention actions taken were proportionate.
The legal view
Education solicitor Mark Taylor, partner at Shakespeare Martineau, said the new clause “does not make a lot of difference” as the department already has “very wide powers” to terminate or intervene with providers.
But he added: “The interesting bit is this shows the department considers this to be an issue.
“Clearly the department does not want to spend time and money on providers which are too small or delivering in non-priority areas – it would be useful if the department would explain what a non-priority area is.”
Tom Morrison, head of further education at law firm Stone King, told FE Week he could “understand the concern” about the contract change as the clause covers new contractual ground for “a range of adverse consequences” for providers, up to and including termination.
He said: “It is not clear what limits there are on the DfE around the resources which it believes it ‘must’ commit.
“It would be good to understand what the harm is which DfE is seeking to address through this change”, he added.
Performance tweaks
The clause, which took effect last month, comes six months after the DfE tweaked performance measures that trigger intervention or termination under the apprenticeship accountability framework in a bid to “drive up quality”.
Based on measures and thresholds such as achievement rates and off-the-job training data, as well as Ofsted grades and employer feedback ratings, the DfE can class providers ‘at risk’ or ‘requires improvement’.
Aside from immediate termination, intervention actions include setting specific targets, requiring professional training for staff, serving a formal notice of failures, or placing a cap on the volume of new apprentices.
‘Too early’ to know
Thomas Pollitt, principal associate in corporate education at law firm Eversheds Sutherland, said: “It’s too soon to draw any firm conclusions on this change.
He added: “The DfE had the discretion under the previous version of the framework to take into account the resources it would need to commit to an intervention in proportion to the number of apprentices and area of provision – if it considered this to be a relevant factor – when deciding what, if any, intervention to take.”
Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive officer of Association of Employment and Learning Providers, agreed it was “far too early to jump to conclusions” on what the clause will mean for small providers.
He said: “Small providers are a vital part of the rich skills tapestry and play a critical role in the delivery of high-quality training, including in some very niche specialisms.
“With the introduction of the growth and skills levy the DfE will clearly need to carefully consider the capacity and expertise within the marketplace as part of their role in market stewardship.”
DfE restructuring
The DfE recently announced plans to close the EFSA, its funding management agency, and integrate its functions into the department by the end of March.
The ESFA employed 736 staff as of July this year but has seen a rapid decline in staff in recent years, with many policy staff transferred to the DfE following a 2022 review and others handed restructure exit packages.
Hundreds of college students in an Essex town are set to receive a one-off £360 cash payment to help them stay in further education – funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Last week, the leader of Basildon Council announced an “education essentials grant” scheme that will pay £360 to up to 360 students to help with travel, food and study materials.
It will be funded using £130,000 from the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which was designed to boost levelling-up through skills, businesses and community projects and replaced European Union funding in 2022.
All payments will be made by March 31 which is the annual deadline for UKSPF spending.
Basildon’s use of its £1.2 million share of the fund to pay students appears to be a national first, as projects elsewhere target the economically inactive with tailored support or specific training such as digital, English or maths.
However, helping young people to stay in education may align with UKSPF objectives set by the previous government – of increasing employment and the number of people completing “high-quality skills training”.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said the scheme could reasonably be supported under UKSPF funding rules.
But critics say one-off payments like this were never the intention of the fund.
‘Lack’ of sixth forms
Leader of Basildon Council Gavin Callaghan said he developed the scheme after hearing that a “lack of sixth-form education” in Basildon was forcing low-income families to fork out for buses to nearby towns.
He compared his education essentials grant, which will be available to children with a parent claiming Universal Credit, to the education maintenance allowance which he said was “cruelly scrapped by the Tories”.
Basildon Council said the “bold” scheme would address “shocking statistics” that showed local education levels were behind national standards.
Basildon Council’s district has an estimated population of 187,000 and includes nearby towns Laindon, Billericay and Wickford.
Basildon, the largest town, has two South Essex College campuses specialising in construction, engineering and IT. It has only one sixth form while Wickford and Billericay both have two.
The £360 grant, equivalent to £15 a week, would not fully cover the £27 needed for a weekly bus pass between Basildon, its nearby towns or Southend-on-Sea.
Local flexibility
Local authorities ultimately have responsibility for spending UKSPF allocations, although the government requires them to submit investment plans and sixth-month reports.
Some councils and metro mayors have reported underspends due to the design of the three-year scheme, which has been beset by complexity, cash delivery delays and rule changes.
Published in 2022, Basildon’s original investment plan contains no reference to an education grant. The council has not published an update since the plan was approved in December that year.
MP Lauren Edwards, who previously oversaw UKSPF spending when she was a Medway Council cabinet member and is a strong supporter of the scheme, said: “What is important is local areas having the flexibility to use funds like the UKSPF to address local needs, which Basildon has clearly identified.
“Their approach sounds very like the education maintenance allowance, which was a landmark Labour policy sadly scrapped by the coalition government as part of austerity measures.
“If we had an underspend in Medway it would certainly be something I’d suggest looking into.
“It’s good for local authorities to share best practices amongst themselves and with new ministers who are looking at what local growth funds should look like in the future.”
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, welcomed Basildon Council “testing new approaches” in tackling financial barriers to staying in education.
He said: “It will be important to target this where help is needed most, make sure other practical support is available too, and effectively evaluate the scheme so we know if it’s making a difference.”
‘Spending spree’
However, Ian Ross, who delivers UKSPF-funded schemes for several local authorities, said: “Whilst the £360 will no doubt be welcomed by the families who receive this payment, this was never the intention of the UKSPF, nor was this included in Basildon Council’s UKSPF investment plan.
“With record numbers of young people economically inactive across the South East, it is a lost opportunity for more targeted investment in programmes to re-engage young people who are not in education, employment or training, rather than focusing this spending spree on those who are already engaged.” Basildon Council did not respond to requests for comment.
Construction industry bodies have announced plans for 32 “new skills hubs” in a bid to fill housebuilding skills gaps with “fast-track” training for up to 5,000 apprentices each year.
Joint investment of £140 million from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National House-Building Council (NHBC), will see the hubs developed in areas with the greatest homebuilding need, according to a government press release.
NHBC, a new-build home warranty provider and training provider, says it will expand its network of training centres with up to 12 new “multi-skills training hubs” worth £100 million.
Roger Morton, NHBC’s director of change and training hubs said the non-profit company, which has been a registered apprenticeship provider since 2020, already has four hubs where it delivers intensive bricklaying training in realistic conditions.
He told FE Week: “The existing ones are basically a slab of concrete covered by canopy with cabins around.
“It enables us to give the training a realism – they’re similar to sites you see all around the country.”
Fast track training
NHBC said its realistic training centres and intensive apprenticeship training regime means learners can complete in “14 to 18 months” – faster than the 24 to 30 months for typical construction apprenticeships.
The non-profit company plans to eventually train up to 3,000 apprentices each year in groundworks, bricklaying and carpentry.
The CITB and NHBC believe the hubs could train apprentices in as little as 12 months, while the DfE says it is working on ways to make apprenticeship rules more flexible to “solve skills shortages and support growth”.
The industry bodies will also work “hand in hand” with new DfE agency Skills England to identify locations that need construction workers the most, the department said.
Industry training body the CITB will reportedly invest £40 million in new homebuilding skills hubs to bring the total to 32.
‘Truly collaborative approach’
A spokesperson said it is already working with NHBC on two new hubs and is seeking a “wider group of providers” to work with, such as further education colleges and employers.
Tim Balcon, chief executive of CITB, said: “It is clear that we need to rethink how we train our workforce and be much more agile in our approach.
“We have worked closely with the homebuilding industry and government to develop a programme that is focussed on equipping individuals with the skills they need to be productive on site, in the most efficient way.
“This is truly a collaborative approach and one we are very excited about.”
The CITB coordinates training grants for the construction industry funded from an income of about £170 million in levy charges each year.
The government has committed to building 1.5 million homes in this Parliament and fix England’s “broken skills system”.
Around 250,000 construction workers are needed by 2028 to meet existing demand for new homes, the CITB estimates.
The DfE said the hubs are expected to be training 5,000 apprentices a year when they are all up and running by 2028.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said she is “pleased” the initiative will give apprentices “skills to seize opportunity”.
Minister Jacqui Smith with construction students at WorldSkills UK finals at Oldham College
Former forces commander chief Rob Nitsch reveals how his commitment to public service took him from warzones to vocational qualifications via a stint developing apprenticeships at IfATE.
Right now, around 750,000 people are doing apprenticeships based on standards Rob Nitsch personally approved when he was the de facto number two at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
He does not claim those standards are perfect, but says he feels “massively privileged” to have played a role in building the apprenticeship system – even though the new government is poised to overhaul it.
Now, as new chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), he is focused on a new mission: to change its “bumper sticker” mandate from being the “voice of awarding and assessment” to “improving qualifications and assessment”.
Nitsch left his position as IfATE’s delivery director during a wave of redundancies this summer to lead FAB. His new employer was also facing turbulence. Nitsch is FAB’s third chief in under a year, with his predecessor, Kion Ahadi, lasting just two months.
But Nitsch is used to steering organisations through choppy waters, both literally and metaphorically. He once led the UK’s response to major national flooding and was tasked with axing 7,000 jobs as the British Army’s chief employment officer.
Giving more than taking
And yet, Nitsch feels he has lived a “privileged life”.
His strong sense of civic responsibility, nurtured during a 43-year career in public service, means he always tries to “give more than I take”.
It is why he hesitantly took on the role of chair of governors at City of Portsmouth College (which he can see from his bedroom window) last year. He joined the board in 2020, shortly after “serious leadership and governance issues” placed the college in government intervention.
He was asked three times to take the role before “caving in”. The college has just emerged from financial intervention and Nitsch is now feeling optimistic it will progress from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’ after its latest Ofsted assessment this month.
He tells me the role helps him see the FE sector “from front to back” and “understand the pressures on delivery”.
T Level trouble
That delivery includes rolling out T Levels, which Nitsch was intimately involved in developing at IfATE.
He believes challenges with T Levels and apprenticeship standards emerged due to a mismatch of supply and demand.
And he fears IfATE’s successor, Skills England, will face similar problems if it fails to consider that training providers, end-point assessment organisations and awarding organisations “all need to turn up to make this work”.
He says: “You can create the most glorious demand signal in the world. But if you’re not also helping the market meet it, it’s not a system and it ain’t gonna work.”
While the English skills system is sometimes criticised for its complexity, Nitsch argues the specialist nature of its component parts is an asset if they join up cohesively.
He learned in his former career as an army commander that “it’s not so much about where you line up units, it’s on the margins and overlaps that it becomes tricky. That’s where you need to focus attention”.
Family history
The thread of public service runs deep in Nitsch’s family; three generations have 70 years of continuous army service between them, with him, his father and one of his sons all serving as army engineers.
Although Nitsch followed an academic route, he responds best to vocational types of learning, as have all four of his children; one son is a cruise ship deck officer, another a policeman, and his daughter is training to be a dancer.
Nitsch was sponsored by the army for his last two years at boarding school and for a mechanical engineering degree at Southampton University, before becoming an engineer specialising in repairing armoured vehicles. He admits that tanks excite him.
Causing a strike
He was, therefore, happy to take on a chartered engineer work placement at a tank factory in Leeds after stints in Cold War-era Germany and Cyprus.
At first, Nitsch’s fellow workers considered him a “military southern Jessie”; he admits he’s “a bit posh”.
But he gained a hard reputation after being spotted drinking in a notorious local pub, where alcohol was served “through grilles” with “wooden tables and sawdust on the floor”. He was amused when gossip spread that he was a regular there.
Seeing the funny side
Nitsch appreciates the humour in life’s mishaps.
During the first Iraq War, upon being sent into the desert to lead work repairing air defence systems, he mistakenly camped in an old desert quarry. After a night of pouring rain he woke to the laughter of his men who had spotted he was under water.
Later in his career he led a team of engineers who drove Green Goddess fire engines in Lancashire during the 2002 national fire service strikes.
When Nitsch was asked to attend a police station he assumed it was to congratulate him on the “great job” they were doing. Instead, he was shown a video of one of his unit’s fire engines driving 83mph down the M6. Nitsch’s engineers had removed the speed limiters.
Brave moments
His army career also featured nerve-wracking moments of bravery. When his unit in Iraq had to cross minefields to reach Kuwait, Nitsch made it his job to “find a route through” for others to follow.
Another scary ordeal, in Afghanistan, was being dropped off alone by an American helicopter at night in what he believed to be Sangin (then a deadly battlefield). Nitsch had his gun out, ready for action, but fortunately found himself on the edge of the army air base Camp Bastion.
He was initially sent to Afghanistan as lead logistician and was then tasked with joining an US investigation into the death of British aid worker Linda Norgrove. They concluded she was killed by American special forces sent to rescue her.
During the investigation, a Daily Mail report, which now hangs in Nitsch’s toilet, questioned what the “blanket stacker” (a derogatory term for an army logistician) Nitsch would know about special forces.
Nitsch encountered further press criticism in 2012 when, as the army’s director of manning, he was tasked with making 7,000 military personnel redundant. The Telegraph said he “infuriated troops” by suggesting they apply for specialist RAF and Royal Navy jobs.
But he is proud 88 per cent of those redundancies were voluntary. He was later awarded a CBE for ‘services to the Army Redundancy programme”, which he found “bizarre”.
Opening combat to women
Another proud moment was “reversing 300 years of history” by allowing women to join the infantry when he was the army’s HR director. This paved the way for women to join combat roles in other military services.
Upon leaving the army in 2018, Nitsch served just 18 hours – “the shortest time ever” – as a member of Ofqual’s board. He was interviewed by schools minister Nick Gibb and appointed while also applying for the then-Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) job. Nitsch says “the roof fell in” when he told Ofqual’s then chair Roger Taylor about his IfATE role, due to the conflict of interest.
Culture shock
Having had the grim task of axing military staff, he welcomed the opportunity to grow an organisation for the first time in his career.
Nitsch was the 86th person to join IfA. It later took on technical education, became IfATE and grew to 300 staff.
His biggest regret (he says with humour”) is “not solving the level-two business admin problem” which people often mention to him.
A big challenge IfATE faced that now faces Skills England is ensuring skills keep pace with rapid industry advancements. Nitsch initially advocated tackling the problem by predicting the future and then training people to be ready for it.
He now believes “we need to focus on how we condition people to respond to change”.
This means “educating people to self-learn and “embrace” change by “hunting out new things in their sector” and to “see lifelong learning as a really positive thing”.
He questions whether enough investment is going into the “soft skills that allow people to self-learn”, rather than telling them what to learn.
Nitsch’s FAB life
Nitsch saw joining FAB as the “logical next step” in his “journey of contributing to the development of technical education”.
He believes the awarding and assessment sector is “not as well understood or regarded as they could be” and wants to “grow the organisation, raise the profile of the sector and boost the training offer for members”.
Nitsch also wants FAB to do more research and develop data to explain which assessment methods work best or “why independent end-point assessment is better.”
He says while there is lots of research in the sector, “it’s not well joined up or communicated”. FAB recently appointed a policy director to lead this work.
This will be “the rubber on the road” in driving FAB forward. Yet his mission remains the same: to “improve the development of technical education”.
He adds: “That’s mobilised me hugely, and I’ve found it intensely rewarding. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Docking benefits and subsidising wages are among ideas being considered by ministers to get jobless young people into work, reports suggest.
According to The Sunday Times, the government is considering “major reforms” such as benefit sanctions if people reject education or training under Labour’s promised “youth guarantee”.
And Sky News this week reported claims that wage subsidy programmes are being mooted following concerns that tax rises introduced in last month’s Budget will dent job creation.
Getting Britain working
Labour is expected to publish a white paper entitled ‘Get Britain Working’ next month that sets out how the Work and Pensions, Education and Health and Social Care departments will raise the country’s employment rate from 74.8 to 80 per cent.
Quarterly statistics released yesterday reveal the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) hit 946,000, up 8 per cent on the previous quarter.
This accounts for an estimated 13.2 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds in the UK from July to September.
Ahead of the white paper, the only policy announcement designed to address NEET rates has been a £240 million package for metro mayors and several unidentified English ‘trailblazer’ areas.
That cash will reportedly “streamline” local skills, work and health services and test “early interventions” that target specific barriers to work faced by the long-term unemployed of all ages – such as the estimated 2.8 million out of work due to long-term sickness.
NEETs soar by a fifth
Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, said: “The number of NEETs has risen by 150,000 since the pandemic, a 20 per cent rise.
“The government’s upcoming ‘youth guarantee’ needs to include a step change in apprenticeships, education and help to find work.”
Barriers to economic activity are understood to be a combination of economic challenges, mental health struggles, lack of regional opportunities and access to education.
Disabilities and ill health are some of the “longest-running” factors, alongside being a lone parent and from a minority ethnic group, according to Naomi Clayton, director of policy and research at the Learning and Work Institute.
She told FE Week: “We know that rates of inactivity are far higher in some areas compared to others.”
A survey by Youth Employment UK said NEET rates are driven by a range of “interlinked factors” including high levels of anxiety when people leave education, a lack of belonging in communities, disruption from events such as the pandemic and regional inequalities.
There is also concern chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to hike national insurance contributions from April will worsen the NEET problem as it could hinder employers’ ability to recruit more staff.
Been here before?
Previous governments have already tried benefits sanctions and subsidised work programmes to boost youth employment rates.
For a couple of years during the pandemic the government ran the Kickstart scheme, which offered six-month paid work placements to those aged 16 to 24 who were on universal credit and deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment – with the government picking up their wage bill.
Several other schemes are ongoing, including Restart and the Work and Health Programme, while others, such as Job Entry Targeted Support – aimed at the recently unemployed – ended last year.
Clayton said: “The system itself has been affected by the amount of policy churn, the different funding streams, and the short-termism.”
The evidence
Ben Gadsby, head of policy and research at Impetus, which funds organisations that support employment and education for disadvantaged groups, said there was already evidence about what works.
He revealed subsidised job programmes were ideal for young people who needed an employer to take a risk on them.
But he added: “Success will depend on how many non-subsidised jobs there are – one of the reasons there were fewer Kickstart places than planned is there were lots of non-subsidised jobs available.”
Gadsby said young people responded positively to supportive environments such as youth hubs, while benefit sanctions could “get in the way” of support on offer.
Minister for Employment Alison McGovern said the latest NEET figures were“yet more evidence of the significant challenges facing young people, particularly the pandemic generation who have not received the support they need to reach their full potential”.
She added: “Bold measures in our Get Britain Working white paper will turn this around. We will introduce a Youth Guarantee so every 18-21 year old in England is earning or learning while we transform job centres and introduce new health, work and skill plans to give everyone – including our young people – the support they need to build a better life.”
Plans to test alternative ways of assessing apprentices have been kicked into the long grass.
Officials put forward multiple options to modify the current end-point assessment (EPA) model earlier this year, including one that would allow training providers and employers to assess their own apprentices rather than use an external organisation.
But FE Week understands the Department for Education decided the proposals didn’t have legs after exploring them with awarding bodies and providers. Any potential pilot has now been grounded.
End-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) are hopeful a wider review of EPAs could be launched next year as officials continue to seek to reduce admin and costs.
Trial adjourned
Since 2017, apprentices have had to pass an EPA to fully achieve their apprenticeship.
EPAs are carried out by regulated EPAOs with reference to the assessment plans for each apprenticeship designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
FE Week understands officials are concerned the cost, complexity and limited capacity of EPAOs is hampering apprenticeship completion and achievement rates.
Alternative proposals included allowing training providers to carry out part of the EPA themselves, rather than the whole process being done by an independent EPAO.
It was hoped this would relieve some of the assessor shortages reported by EPAOs. But there was concern about providers’ own assessment capacity, and that losing fully independent assessments would compromise standards.
Other suggestions involved transferring the assessment of “behaviours” from EPAOs to employers, and cutting the size of EPAs by removing the need for all knowledge, skills and behaviours to be assessed.
FE Week understands officials quickly found the proposals wouldn’t save any time or money and would just add confusion to the system.
The DfE declined to comment, but did confirm that officials “reviewed the apprenticeship assessment system over summer 2024, gathering evidence and suggestions for change from across a wide range of stakeholders including regulators, assessment organisations, training providers and external quality assurance providers”.
Rob Nitsch, chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, said his organisation was “pleased to contribute to discussions about the future of the EPA pilots and the optimisation of EPA”, adding that his team had “advocated for a wider review and are hopeful that this will come to fruition when resources allow”.
‘Expert’ apprenticeship pilot a damp squib?
The DfE caused controversy last year when it outlined plans to recruit a team of “expert” apprenticeship providers.
According to government guidance, those selected would receive a “mark of excellence” on the Find Apprenticeship Training website in a bid to drive up starts, especially with small and medium-sized employers, young people, and improve resource efficiencies and quality of delivery.
The providers would also be given “more access” to DfE systems to reduce the time and resources they commit to coaching non-levy paying employers through the apprenticeship system.
Entry criteria was strict and eliminated many of the largest apprenticeship providers from participating. Thirteen providers were selected in October 2023 and began the pilot at the end of that month.
But a year later the DfE has refused to say exactly what flexibilities, if any, the expert group had been testing. The promised quality mark also does not appear on Find Apprenticeship Training for the 13 expert providers.
The providers appear to have been used instead as a trusted group for suggesting potential policy developments.
DfE told FE Week the providers did, however, contribute to a new tool called One Login, which brings the digital apprenticeship service into one system.
Launched last week, One Login is said to remove the need for multiple logins to different elements of the apprenticeship service. It means apprentices can now track their progress, view available apprenticeships and apply for opportunities within one secure system without the hassle of multiple accounts.
Employers can also manage recruitment, track the progress of apprentices and ensure that all documentation and compliance requirements are met.
The service’s integration with training providers allows for “seamless access” to final assessments, ensuring apprentices meet all necessary standards in a simple, joined-up process.
The DfE declined to comment on the outcomes or future of the expert apprenticeship provider pilot, other than to say it will “update the sector in due course”.
Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “AELP did have some concerns that the wider rollout of an expert provider kitemark scheme could lead to a two-tier system.
“Employers can already be confident that any provider directly accessing funding needs to be on the government’s approved apprenticeship register, with Ofsted passing judgement on the quality of provision each provider delivers.”
He added that AELP was “pleased” the new government had made improving flexibility of the apprenticeship programme a key priority, and believes a more “streamlined, less burdensome but still independent EPA needs to be part of this”.
Degree apprenticeships have been transformative for the UK, yet the misconceptions around them continue to circulate. People repeat received wisdom of ‘fat-cat executives on apprenticeships’ or warnings of a ‘middle-class land grab’.
But this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. At Manchester Metropolitan University, a leading provider of degree apprenticeships in partnership with over 600 employers, the reality is starkly different.
Our newest report, Force for Impact, highlights the role degree apprenticeships play in tackling social inequity, closing skills gaps and boosting productivity, particularly in critical areas such as nursing, social work, science, digital and technology.
Social mobility impact
A key myth we need to dispel is the idea that degree apprenticeships are exclusive to the privileged. In fact, degree apprenticeships are powerful tools for social mobility.
Twenty-three per cent of our apprentices were eligible for free school meals (FSM) when growing up. Today, these same individuals are earning an average of just over £53,000 per year.
This is remarkable when considered alongside national data which reports that only half of former FSM pupils earn more than £17,000 by the age of 30. What other pathways in education provide levelling up opportunities and hope for the future like this?
What employers say
The value of degree apprenticeships extends beyond the apprentices themselves. Our employer partners, from global giants like AstraZeneca, Barclays, and IBM to local SMEs and public-sector organisations, report significant benefits.
In a recent survey, over 90 per cent of employers said that degree apprentices bring essential expertise to their teams, boost productivity and contribute to closing skills gaps.
This feedback underscores the importance of investing in degree apprenticeships as a strategic workforce solution that delivers real impact for companies in need of skilled talent, especially in high-demand sectors.
The rapid progression of our alumni is also a testament to the success of these programmes. We found that within one to four years after completing their programme, our undergraduate degree apprentices earn an average of £49,784, and postgraduate alumni £60,028. These figures significantly outstrip national averages.
Policy decisions
With the recent policy shifts under the new government, there is a focus on foundation apprenticeships and shorter programmes. While these have a place, we must not lose sight of the vital role that higher-level apprenticeships play, especially in key areas such as nursing and digital.
Higher-level apprenticeships equip people with advanced skills that make a lasting impact, particularly in industries facing critical shortages.
Now more than ever, we must champion these programmes to ensure that individuals, employers, and the economy continue to benefit from this higher-level skills development.
Driving diversity
One area where degree apprenticeships are making a particularly notable impact is in the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). At Manchester Met, 42 per cent of our degree apprentices in STEM fields are women, compared to the national average of just 27 per cent.
Through a combination of tailored support, flexible learning and industry collaboration, degree apprenticeships create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to enter sectors that have historically been difficult to access.
Pathway to lifelong learning
One of the greatest strengths of degree apprenticeships is their ability to cater for learners at various stages of their careers. While more than half of our apprentices are under 24, a significant portion are adults pivoting to new roles or upskilling mid-career.
This flexibility makes degree apprenticeships uniquely positioned to support lifelong learning, providing both early career starts and career transitions.
The commitment required by apprentices—balancing work, study and a clear career focus—makes the success of these programmes even more impressive. Approximately 38 per cent of our apprentices come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and their success stories illustrate how apprenticeships can transform lives, creating economic stability and personal empowerment.
With the right support and collaboration between educators, industry and government, degree apprenticeships can continue to be a driving force for positive change.
By debunking the myths and recognising the true potential of these programmes, we can unlock opportunities for individuals, employers, and the broader economy.
In today’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, education and workforce development are pivotal drivers of social and economic growth. Yet, as governments and organisations invest in skills and training, it is crucial to understand the broader impact of these initiatives.
Social Return on Investment (SROI) offers a holistic approach to measuring not only the financial returns of skills investment but also the wider benefits to communities, individuals and the environment.
SROI reporting has the potential to transform public policy and investment decisions, ensuring that funding in education and skills generates meaningful social impact across the country.
The future of workforce development
SROI goes beyond traditional metrics of success by capturing the wider societal benefits of apprenticeships. From addressing regional inequalities to empowering underrepresented groups, this holistic framework reveals how skills training delivers returns far beyond what is captured by financial metrics alone.
The broader impact, including improved employment outcomes, increased productivity and enhanced community cohesion, is not just a bonus but the foundation for a more resilient economy.
The value of such reports lies in their ability to provide clear, data-driven insights to guide policy.
Historically, discussions around apprenticeship programmes have often been limited to completion rates and direct financial outcomes. But as recent industry reports demonstrate, apprenticeships contribute meaningfully to a range of broader strategic objectives, including closing the digital skills gap, fostering social mobility and enhancing local economies.
Data-driven foundations
The accuracy and credibility of SROI reporting hinge on a robust and transparent methodology. Using models like GIST Impact’s Skills Drivers and Outcome Impact (DOI), organisations can establish a reliable framework to quantify social value.
By using insights from people directly participating in programmes, as well as incorporating reliable sources, such as government statistics, organisations can ensure calculations are grounded in comprehensive, real-world information.
Additionally, SROI filters account for key factors such as attribution (the likelihood that benefits would occur without the programme) and deadweight (the probability that the investment would yield benefits even without the programme), which help avoid inflated valuations.
This rigorous data-backed approach ensures that SROI calculations accurately reflect both immediate and long-term impacts, from productivity gains to improved social equity.
The inclusion of data on regional, gender and ethnic diversity allows organisations to understand the specific benefits for diverse groups within society, further reinforcing the alignment of workforce programmes with national priorities.
A tool for policy transformation
Employer investment in training has declined sharply, with Skills England’s recent report noting that training expenditure is now at its lowest since 2011, and investment per employee down 19 per cent in real terms.
This trend risks undermining workforce readiness for a shifting economy, highlighting the need for targeted government intervention.
SROI offers a strategic solution by helping the treasury identify skills programmes that yield the greatest social impact, avoiding inefficiencies like deadweight loss. Using SROI metrics, the treasury could optimise the apprenticeship levy and other funding initiatives, transforming apprenticeship schemes into engines of equitable, sustainable growth.
Shifting to an SROI-focused approach would allow policymakers to align funding decisions with initiatives that support levelling up, net-zero goals and regional equality, ensuring maximum returns for both the workforce and society.
This would encourage both public and private sectors to prioritise initiatives that contribute to levelling up, achieving net-zero targets and reducing inequalities across regions, genders and ethnicities.
Call to action
With the recent budget and an upcoming multi-year spending review in the spring, there is a timely opportunity for the treasury to adopt SROI metrics more broadly. This shift could ensure a more balanced approach to public funding, recognising the social dividends generated by skills programmes and positioning apprenticeships as critical investments for social cohesion and regional development.
SROI has already gained traction through the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, which requires public bodies to consider social value in service contracts. Extending this principle to skills funding would help maximise the social impact of public investments.
Embedding SROI into education and skills policies could build a future-ready workforce and provide strategic direction for reversing declines in private training investment, supporting growth and resilience across the UK.
