This article was updated September 2024.
Today the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared his major reform package to boost apprenticeships, these included:
- £60 million new investment to enable up to 20,000 more apprenticeships, including for young people and small businesses
- From the 1st April, the Government will fully fund apprenticeships in small businesses by paying the full cost of training for anyone up to the age of 21
- From the 1st April, the government will also increase the amount of funding that employers who are paying the apprenticeship levy can pass onto other businesses. Large employers who pay the apprenticeship levy will be able to transfer up to 50% of their funds to support other businesses, including smaller firms, to take on apprentices.
New proposed apprenticeship funding rules for 2024/2025 also include:
- Providers can claim a fixed amount of £150 per month to make reasonable adjustments for those with disabilities or learning diffuculties.
- Lower requirements for functional skills are extending for those with learning difficulties but no LDA (statement of learning difficulties assessment) or EHCP (education health and care plan).
With only 12.8% of young people confident that they can find quality opportunities where they live, we are pleased to see this additional funding focused on young people and SMEs.
To encourage more young people to pursue apprenticeships and drive economic activity, these reforms need to be more ambitious and responsive to the needs of individuals.
Our work with both the Pathways for All Commission report and the Young Person’s Guarantee stress that to boost apprenticeship starts among young people, we must:
- Prioritise support for L2 and L3 learners: additional support financially and administratively for SMEs to attract and hire level 2 and level 3 learners
- Get English and Maths right: allow young people to transition with appropriate support without compulsory retakes.
- Create opportunities for all: Introduce incentives for employers to hire young people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
We continue to welcome conversations with policy makers as to how we can better support young people into their next step choices. Our Youth Voice Census 2024 report, collating over 5,000 youth voices across the UK, is now available to download.
