Minister reinforces importance of apprenticeship reforms
3 Jun 2014 12:42 PM
Matthew Hancock speaks at the annual Association of
Education Learning Providers conference about the importance of apprenticeship
reforms.
Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock spoke
yesterday (2 June 2014) at the annual Association
of Education Learning Providers (AELP) conference about the importance
of the government’s apprenticeship reforms and how giving
employer’s control of the design and funding of apprenticeships will help
to drive up quality.
Matthew Hancock said:
For
the first time, a new generation of young people are seeing apprenticeships as
the route to a brighter future. Now is the time to reform the apprenticeship
system in order to put it at the forefront of economic growth for years to
come. Alongside universities, apprenticeships are the new norm for young people
leaving school.
I
also want apprenticeships to become the first choice for businesses and
employers of all sizes. By driving up the rigour and responsiveness, we can
prove their worth to these groups and encourage even more employers to take on
an apprentice.
Apprenticeships will deliver higher quality across the
board, skills relevant to the future and give everyone in the country the
opportunity to realise their potential. I am calling for businesses to come
alongside us and we can go forward together. The road ahead will not be easy,
but for that goal, it is surely worth travelling.
The
minister built on recent support for the principles of the funding reforms and
set out how the system will be trialled with the Trailblazer employers in 2014
to 2015. The first phase of the Apprenticeship Trailblazers began in October
2013, with groups of employers, large and small, working together to design new
standards for apprenticeships in areas like Automotive, Aerospace and Financial
Services. Their standards were agreed by the department and published during
National Apprenticeship Week 2014. These Trailblazers are now going to trial
the new apprenticeship funding system which means that for every £1 the
business invests in apprenticeships, they will receive £2 of government
funding up to a maximum amount, depending on the apprenticeship. This will mean
that businesses and government will be investing together in the skills that
our economy needs.
There will also be additional incentives for completion,
for small businesses and for apprentices aged 16 to 18 years. This is a simple,
fair system that will support employers to sit in the driving seat of the
apprenticeships system in future.
During his speech, the minister also welcomed an
employer toolkit whichNIACE (National
Institute of Adult Continuing Education) have designed to help more disabled
people gain access to apprenticeships, and also help employers gain access to
skilled and dedicated workers.
The
toolkit was developed with the support of employers including Barclays Bank,
Tottenham Hotspur FC, The National Theatre, Novartis PLC, Leicester City
Council and Luton and Dunstable Hospital. The toolkit demonstrates the simple
and cost-effective actions that employers can take, including around
recruitment and ongoing support, to make their apprenticeship programmes open
to disabled apprentices.