TXM World

Apprenticeships have always been a brilliant first rung on the employment ladder combining working with learning. After long years of decline, they are centre stage again and seen by Government as vital to securing the skilled workforce of the future.

The National Apprenticeship Service said up to 15,000 places will be available to students receiving their exam results this summer. Alan Wallace, head of employer accounts for the NAS, said: “For a strong and growing economy we must have a high level of skills to meet employer demand and apprenticeships are a vital way of achieving this.

However, to sustain the apprenticeship path in the longer term, they have to work well for both the individual apprentice and the employer business and review is now underway to determine whether improvements are required. Led by the entrepreneur Doug Richard on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation & Sills the review will look at the future of apprenticeships, how they can best match the needs of employers in these changing economic conditions, the qualification routes and how they are funded.

If you have been an apprentice or employ apprentices and have a view on the future of apprenticeships, then the call for evidence to the Richard Review is open until 7 September. We await the outcome with interest and will be reporting on it when it’s published in the autumn.