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14 April 2026

Tag: apprenticeship reforms

Small businesses outline ‘serious concerns’ with stretched apprenticeship budget

The Federation of Small Businesses has raised “serious concerns” about the apprenticeship budget and claims “over a quarter of apprentice employers say reforms have had a negative impact”. In a report published today called ‘Fit for the future: making the apprenticeship system work for small business’, the membership body seeks to influence the forthcoming spending […]

Why is there no T-Level pathway for sport?

Elite sports is one of the hardest industries to break into, yet there are no plans for any technical routes, laments Jo Maher The independent panel on technical education’s report in 2016 identified “15 clear routes to skilled employment” where there is a “substantial requirement for technical knowledge and practical skills”. Sport was not one […]

Whitehall can’t manage apprenticeship reforms alone

The reforms to apprenticeships have so far been demonstrably disastrous, says Simon Ashworth, who is pleading for a serious rethink April 2019 will be seen as the Big Bang for the government’s apprenticeship reforms. This is when smaller non-levy-paying employers will join levy payers on the Apprenticeship Service (TAS), and when – in theory – […]

The chaos of apprenticeship reform

Apprenticeships might be at the heart of the Government’s industrial strategy, but delays in the register of approved providers raise questions about its vision for the future, says Stephen Evans Having worked in government, I know that the announcement of a policy can seem like the end of the process. An announcement follows a long […]

Breaking: Full Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers finally published

Almost 75 per cent of applicants to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers were successful, the Skills Funding Agency has revealed. The full list of providers on the new register has finally been published by the agency (click to download full list), almost 24 hours after providers began to learn their fate via the SFA’s […]

Dear minister, it’s time to come clean on apprenticeships cuts

With the government attempting to hide or downplay the scale of their funding cuts, there is a huge gulf between rhetoric and reality on apprenticeships, says David Lammy. During the course of the parliamentary debate on apprenticeship funding cuts on November 1, I mentioned cuts 30 times. I brought up local figures and evidence from […]

The government must go much further with reforms

The Technical and Further Education Bill is a good start, but it needs to address structural problems that will hold us back in world trade, says Shane Chowen. In the wake of the vote to leave the EU, the economic aftershocks are beginning to be felt. Economists still forecast a rise in unemployment – albeit […]

Why isn’t the sector more positive about apprenticeship reforms?

While change is always unsettling, the apprenticeship reforms will do the sector a world of good, says Graham Howe. Change is unsettling, significant change is scary, and apprenticeships are going through significant change. It is worrying that the sector is being forced to move to new standards for which the end assessment is unknown, and […]