Calls for apprenticeship reforms as starter numbers drop
Neil Puffett
Monday, June 21, 2021
The apprenticeship system in England requires urgent reform to ensure disadvantaged young people do not suffer a double educational blow, a report has found.
The study, published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), found that apprenticeship opportunities for young people from deprived backgrounds have been disproportionately impacted by recent changes to the apprenticeship system – even before the coronavirus pandemic.
The report finds that the impact of Covid-19 has exacerbated existing trends, as apprenticeship starts among deprived and younger learners have continued to decline disproportionately - in line with young people more generally bearing the brunt of unemployment resulting from the pandemic.
It shows that that apprenticeship starts across learners of all ages fell by a fifth between 2015/16 and 2018/19, driven by a rapid decline in intermediate and advanced apprenticeships offered by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The decline in apprenticeship starts among the most disadvantaged apprentices during this period was 30 per cent, compared with three per cent among the least disadvantaged apprentices.
The report found that previous apprenticeship reforms have particularly impacted young people, because older apprentices are more likely to be doing higher level apprenticeships, which have substantially increased in numbers since the reforms.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has had a substantial impact on apprenticeship starts, which declined by almost half (47 per cent) between March and July 2020 compared with the same period in the previous year. Apprenticeship starts among deprived and younger learners have continued to decline disproportionately as a result of the pandemic.
The report recommends that the current funding system be re-designed to meet and protect the needs of SME employers, in light of the role they play supporting apprenticeships among young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Among other things, it also calls for funding for training of 16- to 18-year-old apprentices to be separated and protected from the main apprenticeships budget and for a nationwide campaign to raise the profile of traineeships.
Jenna Julius, report author and senior economist at NFER, said apprenticeships have the potential to act as a vehicle for social mobility for young people, but over the last decade those who are disadvantaged are increasingly being crowded out of the apprenticeship system.
“The pandemic has had a particularly significant impact on the lives of young people, and we have to ensure that they do not suffer a second educational blow," she said.
"It is essential we re-consider elements of the design of the current apprenticeship system to ensure those hardest hit can access apprenticeship opportunities.”