MPs Want the Apprenticeship Tinkering to Stop

emmanueldadey
Jul 24
3 min read

Stop changing the apprenticeship system until we know whether the last changes worked. That is the blunt message from Parliament's Work and Pensions Committee this week. Its report on youth employment says policy is pulling in different directions while more than one million young people across the UK are not in education, employment or training. [UK Parliament]

Empty college apprenticeship event setup with exhibition stands and coloured routes

A system that won't sit still

The committee supports the aim of giving young people a bigger share of apprenticeship opportunities. It isn't convinced the current reforms will achieve it.

MPs described the removal of funding from many level 7 apprenticeships as too blunt. Skills England and employers were asked for evidence after the decision had been announced, while some routes hit by the change still bring younger learners into professions. On accountancy and taxation standards, 71% of apprentices were under 25. [FE Week]

Then there is the Youth Guarantee. Most of its schemes are tied to the benefits system, yet the committee says 44% of young people who are NEET aren't claiming benefits. That leaves a large group outside the front door before delivery has properly begun.

For colleges, the problem isn't a shortage of schemes. It is trying to build employer confidence while the rules, incentives and departmental ownership keep moving.

Another rulebook lands for 1 August

The timing is awkward. Updated apprenticeship funding rules and the first full rules for apprenticeship units were confirmed this week for starts from 1 August. [GOV.UK]

Levy-paying employers without enough money in their account will face 25% co-investment for new starts. Non-levy employers will receive full government funding for apprentices aged 16 to 24, while those recruiting from October may qualify for a £2,000 hiring payment. The policy is trying to shift behaviour towards younger recruits, but an employer engagement team will need more than a neat slide to explain the mix.

This is where the committee's warning matters. Changing the price, eligibility and product at the same time makes it harder to tell which part worked.

QARs have changed shape too

Quality teams have a separate July job. The 2025 to 2026 qualification achievement rate guidance now includes T Levels in the education and training dataset and foundation apprenticeships in the apprenticeship dataset. Apprenticeship units are excluded for this year. Campus-level QAR data will also be published for providers with an existing CampusID. [GOV.UK]

That is worth flagging before somebody compares this year's dashboard with last year's and assumes every movement is delivery performance. Some of it is the measuring frame.

One barrier has been removed

There is a small, sensible change for adult provision. A young person can now join a Skills Bootcamp from the day they turn 19, rather than waiting because their birthday fell after the old 31 August cut-off. Local areas will get updated guidance, and the ILR is being changed to capture the extra starts. [GOV.UK]

Meanwhile, the National Joint Forum has pushed its college pay decision to September. AoC expects to present a recommendation then and has agreed with unions to reopen talks on national pay bargaining. [AoC]

September is now carrying a lot: pay, new apprenticeship starts, revised employer conversations and a QAR picture with different boundaries. Colleges will want the rules to settle long enough to see what learners and employers actually do.