World-class Apprenticeships; Unlocking Talent, Improving Skills for All

Radical reforms which will improve Apprenticeships for the future.

A plan to deliver the promised expansion of apprenticeships was published in January of this year, World-class Apprenticeships; Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All Report sets out the Government strategy to ensure apprenticeships can become a mainstream option for 16-18 year olds, alongside other routes.  The Report gives a commitment that an apprenticeship place will be available for all qualified young people by 2013 and that there will be a significant growth in apprenticeships for older learners.
Further announcements in Report were;

• National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) from April 2009 which will have end-to-end responsibility for Apprenticeships, crucial to raising both the quantity and quality of Apprenticeships in England. 
• A National Apprenticeships Matching Service which will match people to Apprenticeship opportunities and an online service supported by hotline assistance to help users choose the best route for them.
• A commitment to take steps to make it easier for employers to improve the range of apprenticeships by, for example, allowing them to include their own accredited qualifications.
• A pilot wage subsidy programme for small businesses to make offering apprenticeships to young people more attractive to them.
• A relaxation of the age-related funding constraints for sectors who are unable to recruit under 18s.
• A new drive to increase apprenticeships in the public sector, setting targets in key areas.

The Report details not only how the expansion in numbers will be delivered but also how the quality can be improved to ensure apprenticeships can be a mainstream option for more of our workforce and help secure a prosperous future for the whole country.  World-class Apprenticeships; Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All report can be downloaded from -
http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/world_class_apprenticeships.pdf