Daily roundup: Apprenticeships, global education rankings, and immunisations

Apprenticeships should last at least a year, according to the Richard Review. The government-backed report said apprenticeships should be targeted only at young people who are new to a job or require “sustained and substantial” training. Doug Richard, who carried out the review, said: “With the myriad of learning experiences which are currently labelled as apprenticeships, we risk losing sight of the core features of what makes apprenticeships work. My conclusion is that we need to look again at what it means to be an apprentice and what it means to offer an apprenticeship as an employer. We need to make sure that apprenticeships are the success story they deserve to be.”

The UK's education system has been ranked as the sixth best in the world. The BBC reports that a global league table published by education firm Pearson places Finland first and South Korea second. Sir Michael Barber, chief education adviser at Pearson, said the leading countries display a “culture” of education and give teachers a high status. Finland and South Korea are followed by Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. The rankings are based upon tests that are taken every three or four years, so lag behind by several years.

The number of children being immunised against measles, mumps and rubella has reached its highest level since 1997, latest figures have shown. Health and Social Care Information Centre statistics show 91.2 per cent of children had received their first immunisation dose by the age of two in 2011/12 - a rise from 89.1 per cent in 2010/11 and 79.9 per cent in 2003/04. However current figures are still below the recommended World Health Organisation level of 95 per cent.

A guide to help commissioners develop local services for young carers and their families has been produced by the Carers Trust. The charity said the guide gives an overview of the key areas for commissioning, providing examples of current young carer services. Dr Moira Fraser, director of policy and research at the Carers Trust, said: “There’s already some great work taking place to support young carers, and we hope that this guide will give commissioners a detailed understanding around young carers’ needs and the range of services already available to them.”

A care service for children and young people with sight-loss and complex health needs is to be expanded. The Royal National Institute of Blind People's (RNIB) Pears Centre for Specialist Learning in Coventry will be extended to young people who have life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, or require long-term ventilation. A total of six places will be available from the end of this month. The centre will support young people during transition periods from hospital to their home, while long-term placements, rehabilitation, medical care and respite care will also be available.

And finally, the number of homeless young people needing help in Brighton has tripled in three years according to a charity in the city. The BBC reports that the Clock Tower Sanctuary, a day centre for 16- to 25-year-olds, is currently helping about 120 young people a month. This compares to 40 two years ago. Kate Gibson, development manager at the charity, said it could be that families are “more stretched” financially, resulting in more stress in the home, forcing more young people to leave. “The main reason for young people becoming homeless is always family breakdown,” she said.