apprenticeships | FE Week

IfA approves quality assurer that is scheduled to close

A company approved to provide external quality assurance for digital apprenticeships will fold in September, in a situation described as an “unworkable short-term solution”. The Institute for Apprenticeships approved the Tech Partnership for the role in December, two months after it announced plans to shut up shop. The IfA also confirmed that if no suitable […]

Sir Gerry Berragan, Chief executive, Institute for Apprenticeships

The new boss of the Institute for Apprenticeships is not giving anything away. After 37 years in the military, Sir Gerry Berragan seems more comfortable dealing in facts than stories about his life. But this might be just the kind of discipline the organisation needs, after a year under a caretaker chief executive and a […]

Investigation: Agency accused over ‘tax avoidance’ levy advice

An apprenticeship and graduate recruitment agency for schools has been accused of exploiting a tax incentive scheme after it emerged it has been advising schools how to become “better off’ by manipulating apprenticeship levy rules. Qualified Schools proudly states on its website that schools can make “significant in-year budget savings” if they choose to enrol […]

‘Inadequate’ employer provider still on apprenticeship register

A FTSE 100 employer-provider has not been kicked off the register of apprenticeship training providers, even though Ofsted gave it a grade four nearly six months ago. The Compass Group is still permitted to take on new apprentices in its capacity as a subcontractor, and has only stopped recruiting them on a voluntary basis. According […]

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 […]