York College
‘apprenticeships’
The quality of apprenticeships is “sticking” instead of moving forward, according to Ofsted’s chief inspector who today urged the sector to “improve”. Amanda Spielman (pictured) delivered a keynote speech on day one of FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference and provided delegates with an update about what the education watchdog is finding during inspections. She said […]
News
Apprenticeship starts for January are up 15 per cent on last year but down 21 per cent on the same month in 2017 before the levy was introduced, new government figures have revealed. There have been 29,100 starts recorded so far in January 2019, compared with 36,700 in January 2017 and 25,400 in January 2018, […]
Colleges, training providers and employers have flooded to Birmingham for the Annual Apprenticeships Conference (AAC) 2019 which officially gets underway this morning. Across two days the conference, in partnership with the Department for Education and now in its fifth year, will provide over 1,200 delegates with an opportunity to access vital updates on apprenticeships policy […]
The proportion of apprenticeships delivered by subcontractors fell 15 points to just 11 per cent last year, according to government figures obtained by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. The drop has been attributed to more stringent rules on subcontracting, introduced in May 2017 as part of the levy reforms, and the introduction of […]
The government appears to have changed the off-the-job (OTJ) training rule again, and is now telling providers they should cap the 20 per cent calculation based on 30 hours per week. The unexpected change, made in an ESFA ‘apprenticeship off the-job training policy background and examples’ document released last Thursday, contradicts the official apprenticeship funding […]
The boss of the Education and Skills Funding Agency has promised MPs that management apprenticeships will be “increasingly” audited to ensure they are “additive” amid fears they offer little value for public money. During last night’s Public Accounts Committee hearing on apprenticeships Eileen Milner (pictured) was asked if she was concerned at the increase in […]
The Department for Education’s top civil servant has admitted “hard choices” will need to be made in the face of an imminent apprenticeship budget overspend. Jonathan Slater, the department’s permanent secretary, was one of a number high-profile government officials quizzed by the Public Accounts Committee this afternoon on the affordability of the apprenticeship programme. Asked […]
The Royal Air Force introduced apprenticeships within 18 months of its formation. One hundred years on, it has more than 3,000: Cath Murray meets the man who looks after them all Shortly after taking over as head of apprentice training for the Royal Air Force in 2017, Air Vice-Marshal Warren James bumped into his former […]
Profiles
Sir Gerry Berragan sets out his institute’s programme for the new financial year The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is two years old next month and has developed considerably in that time. We have reduced the time it takes to approve new apprenticeship standards, effectively doubling our approval rate, and learner and employer engagement […]
Opinion
