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| Apprenticeships: Reform needed for success, say MPs | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Urgent reform is needed to the government's apprenticeships programme, an 11-month review has concluded. | Urgent reform is needed to the government's apprenticeships programme, an 11-month review has concluded. |
| Standards need to be improved and schemes need to be better monitored in order to provide the skills needed to boost economic growth, a report by MPs said. | |
| The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee report into apprenticeships is urging schemes to be more ambitious. | The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee report into apprenticeships is urging schemes to be more ambitious. |
| It calls for apprenticeships to be seen as equal to study at university. | It calls for apprenticeships to be seen as equal to study at university. |
| Commenting on the publication of the report, the Chairman of the BIS Committee, Adrian Bailey, said: "The apprenticeship programme can play a key role in resolving some of this country's most pressing issues." | |
| Fit for purpose | Fit for purpose |
| Last year the government invested £1.2bn in the apprenticeship programme, with 457,200 people starting training as an apprentice. | |
| The government has made apprenticeships a priority but, according to the report, there is room for improvement. | The government has made apprenticeships a priority but, according to the report, there is room for improvement. |
| The report recommends a number of reforms which it hopes will make apprenticeships better fit for purpose. | The report recommends a number of reforms which it hopes will make apprenticeships better fit for purpose. |
| These include a clearer government policy on apprenticeships that defines their purpose and goals. | These include a clearer government policy on apprenticeships that defines their purpose and goals. |
| The report said there needs to be an assessment of how schemes are funded and how they are taken up, especially with regard to which age groups benefit most. | |
| It also recommended that the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) should have a statutory responsibility to raise awareness of apprenticeships for students within schools. | It also recommended that the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) should have a statutory responsibility to raise awareness of apprenticeships for students within schools. |
| "Apprenticeships are a viable and attractive route to a career and should be seen as equal to the university route", said Mr Bailey. | "Apprenticeships are a viable and attractive route to a career and should be seen as equal to the university route", said Mr Bailey. |
| Finally, the report recommended that the NAS should produce a robust methodology for valuing employers' contributions in future. | |
| "We heard evidence of excessive profits at the public's expense, of a government paying out too much money... this is unacceptable," Mr Bailey added. | "We heard evidence of excessive profits at the public's expense, of a government paying out too much money... this is unacceptable," Mr Bailey added. |