The APPG on Apprenticeships has launched their annual report, highlighting key recommendations to employers and policymakers to improve and increase the uptake of apprenticeships in the workplace. Chichester MP Gillian Keegan MP spoke at the launch in her capacity as Co-Chair of the APPG and an MP Apprenticeship Ambassador.
The report examines contributions put forward to the Group, taking evidence on a range of areas over the year’s programme of work. The APPG has engaged with apprentices, industry and government to identify challenges and opportunities within the UK’s apprenticeship system. It proposes a series of recommendations which would enhance the apprenticeship offer and increase the number of apprenticeships in the UK.
Key recommendations include:
- There should be a greater focus on the quality of apprenticeships provided and the standards underpinning this. The Institute for Apprenticeships should ensure that the standards being developed are efficient, flexible and robust, matching the needs of different businesses and sectors. This includes End Point Assessments, which should not simply represent a tick-box exercise.
- The Department for Education must ensure that schools are strongly incentivised to promote apprenticeships similar to how university pathways are promoted.
- Part-time apprenticeships should be made more widely available and encouraged in the workplace to ensure greater accessibility. Government, policymakers, providers and industry need to work together to ensure the relevant structures are in place to successfully implement part-time apprenticeships on a large-scale.
- Government should approve pilots for different sectors in the UK, such as aerospace, health and finance to pool un-spent funding from the levy. This should then be managed by a representative body in order to support small businesses and allow greater flexibility in transferring funds.
