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1 May 2026

Tag: apprenticeships

Flaws in the benefits system are holding apprentices back

Cruelties in the way much-needed welfare is handed out to NEET families is preventing their children from social mobility, writes Andrée Deane-Barron Why would the government establish policy that so defiantly restricts the progress of another? I am referring to the welfare benefits system and its adverse effect on the take-up of apprenticeships, especially among […]

Charity set to announce purchase of People 1st

UPDATE: The Workforce Development Trust has confirmed the acquisition of People 1st. However, the Institute for Apprenticeships has said a formal agreement for the trust to take on responsibility for apprenticeship external quality assurance is yet to be made. “We will make a decision on the provision of EQA once discussions between People 1st and the […]

Apprenticeship qualifications: no uptake under new rules

No employer groups have taken advantage of the Institute for Apprenticeships’ new rules for including qualifications in apprenticeships, FE Week can reveal. The IfA announced in February, as part of its reform programme to make the approval of standards “faster and better”, that off-the-job technical qualifications could now be included in apprenticeships – news that […]

Apprenticeship payments system breakdown finally ‘resolved’

The government claims to have finally fixed its malfunctioning apprenticeship payments reporting system, more than two weeks after it was first reported. FE Week reported last week that the ESFA had missed its own deadline to repair the IT issues, which had prompted numerous exasperated complaints on the FE Connect site from April 10. We […]

Apprenticeship end-point assessment crisis exposed

The Institute for Apprenticeships has rejected concerns about apprentices being unable to graduate – accusing people who raise them as simply “inflammatory”. FE Week was first to raise the issue of a lack of end-point assessments back in 2016, but are the apprentices really affected? We spoke to scores of providers and employers, and our […]

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 […]

More traineeships are leading to apprenticeships

The proportion of young people who complete a traineeship and move on to an apprenticeship has risen but it still sits below 40 per cent. A pre-employment programme, traineeships were launched five years ago in the government’s drive to support low-skilled unemployed people below the age of 25 onto apprenticeships. But interest – which was […]

Why are apprenticeship drop-out rates so high?

Jisc’s Paul Feldman argues that to boost completion rates, we first need to understand why apprentices are dropping out The government’s desire to have three million people start apprenticeships by 2020, and its moves to widen access through last year’s careers strategy, are both steps in the right direction. These measures will feed into the […]