‘High quality skills and apprenticeships lie at the heart of the government’s drive to create the skilled workforce British industry needs to thrive, to boost productivity and build an economy that works for all’ (DfE press release 06/10/16) As the DfE attempts to talk up apprenticeships, its own data* paints a rather different story. It’s … Continue reading Apprenticeships. New figures, old failures →

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sajid-javid-in-manchester-to-announce-multi-million-pound-boost-to-degree-apprenticeship-opportunities http://www.mediafhe.com/hei-think-the-case-for-higher-apprenticeships http://www.mediafhe.com/hei-think-higher-apprenticeships-have-yet-to-make-an-impact  

The government’s ParliamentToday website (23/03/16)  has attempted the usual ‘spin’ with  the latest apprenticeship figures, pointing to  84 000  starts by under 19 year olds between August 2015 and January 2016  and to 366,000  across all levels and age groups during the current parliament.  Skills Minister Nick Boles also told the site there has been a … Continue reading Apprenticeship figures don’t match the optimism →

David Cameron qualified his pledge to create three million more apprenticeships with ‘That’s three million more engineers, accountants, project managers’ http://press.conservatives.com/post/109906886845/david-cameron-a-britain-that-gives-every-child. Expanding the Higher Level apprenticeship  will be considered fundamental to this, with the then Business Secretary, Vince Cable arguing at its 2012 launch that: ‘Investing in skills is central to our drive to boost … Continue reading Higher Level Apprenticeships:  A slow start. →

Following Ofsted Chief Michael Wilshaw’s criticism of ‘one size fits all’ academic learning,   Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has criticised state schools for ‘outdated snobbery’ and promised a new law that ensures they promote technical education and apprenticeships as real  alternatives to university. Morgan told the Independent: ‘For many young people going to university will be … Continue reading Morgan instructs schools to promote apprenticeships. →

Some three years after  the BBC's  Panorama  dramatically exposed the misuse of apprenticeship funding by the supermarket chain Morrison; this week’s Channel 4 Dispatches provided further disturbing evidence of how young people continue to be short changed, but also public money misspent, despite government reassurances that the reintroduction of apprenticeships has been a resounding success. … Continue reading Apprenticeships. Channel 4 puts the boot in →

George Osborne’s decision to impose an apprenticeship levy on large firms represents a significant change in policy. In Germany and other European countries, employers are required to make a significant cost towards the cost of apprenticeship and skills training. Under Osborne’s scheme, employers with an annual wage bill of more than £3 million will have … Continue reading Osborne’s Spending Review. An apprenticeship levy and a ‘truce’ with austerity? →

Blog Post for Reclaiming Schools *network                                                                           Ofsted’s hard hitting report on the quality of apprenticeship provision, confirms what is … Continue reading Low-level apprenticeships reflect Britain’s ‘coffee shop’ economy →

Skills Minister Nick Boles  might be  correct to claim that more people than ever are now currently on apprenticeships, but  the  government’s  own  data published last week   shows it  will struggle to create the 3 million (high quality) new apprenticeships promised by  the end of the Parliament. It’s true that the last academic year … Continue reading Now Apprenticeships failed by Ofsted →

Figures released by the Skills Funding Agency at the end of June,  show  just  375 000 apprenticeship starts for the 9 months between August 2014 and April 2015. Only 100 000 of the new starts are by young people under 19 and another 125 000 by those aged 19-24.  In otherwords, 4 out of 10 starts … Continue reading Apprenticeship starts well below Cameron’s target →