INDUSTRYNEWS
Minister
reinforces
importance of
apprenticeship
reforms
On 2 June, Skills and
Enterprise Minister Matthew
Hancock (pictured) spoke
at the annual Association
of Education Learning
Providers (AELP) conference
about the importance of the
government’s apprenticeship
reforms and how giving
employer’s control of the
design and funding of
apprenticeships will help to
drive up quality.
He said: “For the first
time, a new generation of
young people are seeing
apprenticeships as the route
to a brighter future. Now
is the time to reform the
apprenticeship system in order
to put it at the forefront of
economic growth for years to
come. Alongside universities,
apprenticeships are the new
norm for young people leaving
school.
“I also want apprenticeships
to become the first choice for
businesses and employers of
all sizes. By driving up the
rigour and responsiveness, we
can prove their worth to these
groups and encourage even
more employers to take on an
apprentice.
“Apprenticeships will deliver
higher quality across the
board, skills relevant to the
future and give everyone in
the country the opportunity
to realise their potential. I am
calling for businesses to come
alongside us and we can go
forward together. The road
ahead will not be easy, but for
that goal, it is surely worth
travelling.”
The Next Generation of
Vertical Sliders
FUNDING FOR EMPLOYERS
The Minister built on recent
support for the principles of
the funding reforms and set out
how the system will be trialled
with the Trailblazer employers
in 2014 to 2015. The first
phase of the Apprenticeship
Trailblazers began in October
2013, with gro W2