Opinion: Hot Issue - Do Apprenticeships need a new image to improvetheir appeal?

NO - Graham Hoyle, chief executive, Association of Learning Providers

I don't think they do, providing the Government is serious within the context of its 14 to 19 education reforms about persuading employers, parents, teachers and careers advisers that Apprenticeships offer a high-quality learning route.

Many young people are already aware of the value of Apprenticeships and employers that are involved have been easily persuaded by the business benefits of offering places. To broaden the appeal, we need to ensure that there is good pre-entry training provision in place to help hard-to-reach groups prepare to embark on an Apprenticeship.

In marketing Apprenticeships, there is still a major task ahead to educate employers that the programme is not just for traditional sectors, such as engineering, but is also for the service sectors. By setting a target of 320,000 apprentices by 2008, the Government should be making it possible for all groups of young people to benefit, but it needs to make sure that the programme is properly and consistently funded.