The government’s recent announcement on training and skills reforms have brought criticism from the CIPD.
The government’s announcement of 120,000 new training opportunities for young people has been welcomed by the organisation and will no doubt help to address persistently high levels of youth unemployment, economic inactivity, and technical skills shortages. However, Lizzie Crowley, senior skills adviser at the CIPD says a more ambitious approach is needed to genuinely expand opportunities and rebalance the system in favour of young people, including an apprenticeship guarantee for all 16-24 years olds.
“The decision to restrict government funding for all Level 7 apprenticeships to those aged 16 to 21 is unlikely to meaningfully boost youth participation given that fewer than one in 10 apprentices who train at this level fall within this age bracket,” she says. “While the aim of rebalancing the system towards young people is important, this blunt approach risks undermining the breadth and ambition of the apprenticeship offer. We have previously argued for a more nuanced approach to managing the cost of delivering higher-level apprenticeships, for instance via reduced subsidies for older apprentices.”
Crowley goes on to note that foundation apprenticeships are also set to be introduced for those aged 16 to 21. These are expected to launch this August following a government decision to lower the minimum duration of apprenticeships from 12 months to eight. “Expanding opportunities is vital but shortening programmes risks damaging the reputation and long-term credibility of apprenticeships,” she says. “England already offers some of the shortest apprenticeships internationally, in contrast to the two-year norm in many countries.
“To genuinely increase apprenticeship opportunities for young people, we are calling for an apprenticeship guarantee for all 16- to 24-year-olds, supported by enhanced financial incentives for SMEs,” says Crowley. “Our research shows overwhelming employer support for this – 89 per cent back such a guarantee, and 60 per cent say they could offer an additional apprenticeship for someone in this age group under this model.”
