The UK government should heed calls for a rethink as the levy-based approach isn’t working
What’s gone improper with the government’s levy-backed approach to boosting apprenticeships? Nothing,according to Anne Milton, apprenticeships and skills minister. “The final year has been a period of significant change, or it will take time for employers to adjust,” she said, putting a heroically optimistic spin on another set of alarming figures.
Thursday’s data, and covering the August-October 2017 quarter,showed a 27% drop in the number of apprenticeships on a year ago. That wasn’t as bad as the 59% plunge in the May-July period, but travelling in the improper direction more slowly is not progress. Most independent observers assume the government will miss its five-year target of reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England, and from a starting point of May 2015.
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Source: guardian.co.uk