Functional skills

Use reform to tailor functional skills to industry needs

We use our expertise to determine minimum literacy and numeracy levels for each apprenticeship we offer

Jessica Hill
Mike Worley
Apprenticeships

Start broad and end narrow as a blueprint for apprenticeships

Let’s turn apprenticeships ‘ladder’ into a fruit-bearing tree with root and branch reform

Jessica Hill
Jonathan Bourne
Apprenticeships

The long and short of it is apprenticeships must deliver

Whatever their length, apprenticeships should be designed and delivered to develop occupational competence

Jessica Hill
Dr Fiona Aldridge
Apprenticeships

DfE’s revised 2023-24 apprenticeship budget was ‘99% spent’

Apprenticeships director warns of 'tough choices to make on what we can fund in the future'

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Ofsted

Ofsted open to ‘another consultation’ on inspection reforms if sector demands rethink

Watchdog’s national director also insists report card proposals do not ‘throw the baby out with the bath water’

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Apprenticeships, Long read

Lessons from our apprentices

The Association of Apprentices convened a roundtable for apprentices to tell us about their training and views on current...

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
end-point assessment

Give stakeholders a voice in end-point assessment reforms

The DfE’s new end-point assessment principles provide an opportunity for improvement – if there’s commitment to a collective approach

Jessica Hill
Kelle McQuade and Steve Smith
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships reform could weaken social mobility impact

Apprenticeships are often hailed as a vehicle for social mobility, but the reality is more complex

Jessica Hill
Alun Francis
Apprenticeships, ESFA

Former apprenticeship boss avoids director ban

'Errors' in funding claims did not make the director unfit to run a company, a judge ruled

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor