apprenticeships | FE Week

Skills in 2017: less money, more problems…

The government has had a few good ideas this year, admits Gordon Marsden, but it seems determined not to pay for any of them to actually happen As we count down to the end of 2017, we can reflect on how different the skills landscape is today from 12 months ago. The Institute for Apprenticeships […]

No sign of hoped-for levied apprenticeships surge in latest statistics

There is no sign of the major upturn in levied apprenticeships that the government has been praying for, according to the latest statistics. There were 13,910 commitments made through the apprenticeship service in October, down from 27,130 the previous month, the Department for Education has said. A fall-back is normal after the September surge – […]

Is FE ready for the big apprenticeship frameworks switch-off?

The process of closing the old-style apprenticeship frameworks to new starts began in March 2016, but only those with few or no starts have so far been affected. That’s about to change, as two of the most popular frameworks – health and social care, and hospitality – are due to be withdrawn at the end […]

Hitting the targets, missing the point

While apprenticeship starts have risen for ethnic minorities and those with learning difficulties, much of their progress has been through reduced opportunities for others, laments Fiona Aldridge Last week’s figures showing a decline in the number of apprenticeship starts continue to make headlines, both in and beyond the sector. Average monthly starts are currently 17 […]

Apprenticeships must not accredit existing knowledge

The apprenticeship levy was a brave move for a Conservative government. But unless it gets to grips with apprenticeships now, a generation of young people will be the big losers, warns Conor Ryan The government says it wants to see three million more apprenticeships by 2020. Promises of improved quality, and the push on large […]

How to increase apprenticeship starts

The levy has had more than its share of teething problems, but it’s not time to bin it yet, says Kathleen Henehan The apprenticeship levy got off to a troubling start: figures show a 59-per-cent fall in starts during its first three months. This seems to confirm fears that it would place incentives into the hands of large employers who don’t typically […]

Ditch job-specific apprenticeship standards

Simply put, there are too many pathways, says Rob May, and they’re more than likely too specialised to be truly useful More than a few people in the sector believe that multiple regulators and a lack of standardisation will fundamentally undermine the apprenticeship reform programme. It’s an opinion I’ve shared in the past, but I’m […]

David Hughes and the AoC are wrong about degree apprenticeships

David Hughes is wrong to criticise the rise in management apprenticeships – they are opening opportunities to people who’ve never had them, argues Mandy Crawford-Lee The University Vocational Awards Council believes in the vital role of colleges in delivering college and work-based training programmes for young people and adults. We also want to champion HE […]

The DfE’s blanket BAME strategy is cloth-eared

The government’s strategy to increase BAME participation in further and higher education ignores important differences between ethnic groups, argues Safaraz Ali It is critical for all of us in the post-16 education sector to take action to widen BAME participation in apprenticeships across England, but it is only by recognising missed opportunities that we can […]