• PhD-level apprenticeships are a ‘perfect fit’ for today’s jobs market, says UVAC director

    A university membership organisation has criticised those opposing PhDlevel apprenticeships, saying such resistance shows a “bewildering lack of understanding of higher education provision and contemporary skills programmes”. Writing for FE Week, Mandy Crawford-Lee, director of policy and operations at the University Vocational Awards Council, argues that “the whole concept” of knowledge, skills and behaviours or…

    6.00 May. 25th, 2019 | News

  • Ofsted slams large employer provider with no apprenticeship passes - again

    A large employer provider in the security sector that was suspended from recruiting apprentices last year has been rated ‘inadequate’ after Ofsted found none of its apprentices achieved their qualification. Securitas UK said today it will challenge the education watchdog after it criticised leaders and managers for being “too slow” to improve the weaknesses identified…

    13.22 May. 20th, 2019 | News

  • Seventh time unlucky: Training provider rated ‘inadequate’ after six consecutive grade threes

    A private provider has been hit with the lowest possible Ofsted rating after receiving six consecutive ‘requires improvement’ ratings since opening its doors. Nottinghamshire Training Network was rated ‘inadequate’ today after the education watchdog found the “principles” of apprenticeship provision were not being met, such as apprentices not receiving their entitlement to “well-planned” off-the-job training.…

    15.50 Apr. 25th, 2019 | News

  • If the 10% apprenticeship co-investment is removed, it should be done selectively

    The 10 per cent apprenticeship contribution rule for non-levied employers remains a lively issue. It is frequently cited by training providers as a barrier to engagement, and the calls for its removal by leading sector bodies such as the Association of Employment and Learning Providers and others remain strident. An air of suppressed anticipation awaited…

    5.00 Jul. 10th, 2018 | Opinion

  • What lessons can we learn from end-point assessments?

    End-point assessment is a vital part of any apprenticeship, and Thomas Burton explains how to get it right. The government wants its trailblazer apprenticeship reforms to have independent end-point assessment (EPA) to drive up productivity. Seen as a vital source of ammunition in the nation’s economic arsenal, the reforms are designed to redress a skills…

    5.00 Apr. 23rd, 2018 | Opinion

  • Recipe for confusion concern as IfA seeks up to 150 expert advisers

    A call for up to 150 industry experts to join new Institute for Apprenticeships advisory panels, has prompted concerns over a lack of “joined up decisions” with similar bodies planned for technical education. Adverts seeking unpaid panel members to join 15 “prestigious employer-led groups” to help shape the future of the apprenticeship programme were posted…

    15.51 Jun. 28th, 2017 | News

  • £35k-a-year private school seeks £3.50-an-hour apprentice

    A private school with annual fees of £35,000 has been branded “a disgrace” by one of the UK’s largest trade unions for offering a rate of just £3.50 an hour for an apprentice to tend its grounds. Cheltenham College, an independent coeducational boarding school in Gloucestershire, advertised for an ‘apprentice groundsperson’ on the gov.uk ‘Find…

    14.32 Jun. 9th, 2017 | News

  • Subsidised apprentice travel plan falls off Labour manifesto

    A long-term pledge to cover the cost of apprentice travel has not made it into Labour’s final general election manifesto – despite it featuring in a leaked draft version. Last week, the draft version first leaked to our sister paper Schools Week, included a commitment to paying for apprentices’ travel costs, “which currently run to…

    17.11 May. 16th, 2017 | News

  • Making sense of the 20% off-the-job apprenticeship funding rule

    One of the most important apprenticeship funding rules from May is the requirement that every apprentice “spends at least 20 per cent of their time on off-the-job training”. This simple sentence actually raises a series of questions, such as how to define “their time” and “off-the-job training”. We understand the SFA will shortly publish dedicated guidance about…

    22.59 Mar. 20th, 2017 | News

  • Scotland to spend less than half their levy funding on apprenticeships

    The Scottish government has announced that its use of the apprenticeships levy will be more flexible than in England, funding a “range of employment measures”. Less than half of Scotland’s estimated £221m levy funding in 2017-18 will be used for apprenticeships, with the rest to be spent on a range of workforce development and pre-employment support…

    16.14 Dec. 23rd, 2016 | News

  • New nursing degree apprenticeship announced by Jeremy Hunt

    The launch of a new nursing degree apprenticeship has been announced by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, with the aim of opening up the profession to more people. The first apprentice nurses could be working on wards from September. It is predicted by the government that once the programme is established, up to 1,000 apprentice nurses…

    13.23 Nov. 30th, 2016 | News