Conservative Conference 2011: Cameron appeals to businesses to increase apprenticeships
Janaki Mahadevan
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to provide funding and cut red tape if businesses agree to increase the number of apprenticeships.
In his keynote speech to the Conservative Party Conference, Cameron made a direct appeal to businesses, saying that while the government had increased the number of apprenticeships available, not enough was being done by big businesses.
He said: "We've provided funding for 250,000 extra apprenticeships, but not enough big companies are delivering. If you want skilled employees, we'll provide the funding, we'll cut the red tape. But you've got to show more leadership and give us the apprenticeships we need."
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) said the commitment to reduce red tape was welcome.
"It’s greatly encouraging that the Prime Minister recognises the importance of apprenticeships in underpinning a sustainable economic recovery," AELP spokeman Aidan Relf said. "He’s right to point the finger at red tape being a factor in holding back their growth in both large and smaller businesses. Training providers believe, for example, that some of the official Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England impose an unjustifiable bureaucracy that does not improve the quality of apprenticeships and actually holds back talented apprentices from progressing more quickly through their programme."
But the group warned Cameron that funding for vocational learning should not be matched to classroom learning.
"Funding for apprenticeships must recognise that the vast majority of apprenticeships are delivered in the workplace, in ones and twos, not gathered in groups in classrooms. This method of ‘on the job’ learning, so important for many vocationally gifted learners, must not be put at risk by trying to equate funding for apprenticeships with courses delivered in classrooms to groups of learners."
At the conference, it was also confirmed that the National Citizen Service programme would treble its capacity to 30,000 next year and again to 90,000 in 2014. Cameron hopes that the scheme will eventually be available to all 16-year-olds.
He said: "Building stronger communities is why we've introduced National Citizen Service. That's why we're tripling the scale of National Citizen Service. That's how we'll build our big society. That is leadership."