Institute for Apprenticeships

Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, chair, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education

Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, who became chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in August, is overseeing 280 staff and huge responsibilities. What makes her tick? Jess Staufenberg finds out Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith is telling me a story. She remembers being chief executive of Mitie, a facilities management outsourcing company, and talking to a […]

IfA’s second funding band review: Another 17 standards signed off

Funding bands for another 17 apprenticeship standards under review by the Institute for Apprenticeships have now been approved – with the majority experiencing a reduction. A total of 30 standards have been under review since December. The first 10 had their funding rates approved in May. For the latest 17, changes for those that have […]

There is no point ignoring the looming overspend – employer apprenticeship levy usage needs to be restricted

At the AELP annual conference this week the skills minister, Anne Milton, outlined options being considered to restrict employer usage of their apprenticeship levy. Given the fall in starts since the apprenticeship reforms began in May 2017, you would be forgiven for wondering why the government would be looking at restricting employer demand. Any new […]

Five principles that should underpin quality assessment

It has never been more crucial that we ensure that we have the best regime possible to assess quality, says Sir Gerry Berragan, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education Our mission at the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education is to develop high-quality apprenticeships and technical qualifications in order to transform […]

IfA launches recruitment drive for more route panel members

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is looking for around 25 new experts to join its 15 sector-based route panels. The members are responsible for deciding the readiness of apprenticeship standards in development in the different sectors, reviewing and approving new standards and technical qualifications. The panels, created two years ago, decide what issues […]

As the wheels fall off plans for the first PhD level apprenticeship, have employers been ejected from the driving seat?

This week we reveal that an Institute for Apprenticeships sub-committee (that includes four board members) refused to approve the first PhD level 8 apprenticeship. Instead, they asked the full board to rule whether a PhD level is even “in the spirit of apprenticeship policy”. Four months on and the board is still in discussions with […]

Damian Hinds reacts to concerns that spend on apprenticeships is soaring

The education secretary didn’t deny that the apprenticeships budget is heading for a £500 million overspend this year, when he was quizzed about it by FE Week. Damian Hinds was asked whether he acknowledged the Institute for Apprenticeships’ concern, revealed in a presentation by its chief operating officer Robert Nitsch last week, that “we are […]

Scrap the Institute for Apprenticeships, says Lords report

The Institute for Apprenticeships should be scrapped, according to an influential committee that sits in the House of Lords. The Lords economic affairs committee has also poured scorn on the government’s target of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020. “The IfA should be abolished,” it said in a new report. The role of the institute […]

Dismay after rail specialist chosen as quality-assurer for digital apprenticeships

A firm of rail specialists have been chosen to replace the Tech Partnership as the external quality-assurance provider for digital apprenticeships, in a move said to “defy all logic”. It was announced on Tech Partnership’s website that its members had agreed to pass “the baton” to the National Skills Academy for Rail, for EQA of […]