AELP responds to BIS announcement that the term ‘apprenticeship’ will be protected in law
AELP
| Association of Employment and Learning Providers
The government has announced that apprenticeships are to be given equal legal treatment as degrees, the enshrinement in law that 3 million apprenticeships will be created by 2020 and public sector bodies will be set apprenticeship recruitment targets.
AELP CEO Stewart Segal said:
"We welcome the focus on quality as part of the aspiration to grow the apprenticeship programme. In fact we have always said that we can't grow the programme unless we maintain high quality provision.
"Protecting the term 'apprenticeship' in law should not make any difference to delivering the programme but we welcome any policy that strengthens the reputation of apprenticeships. What's more important is building on the current programme where we've seen very high satisfaction ratings from employers.
"All apprenticeships have a contract of employment from day 1 and additionally many training providers have an apprenticeship agreement with the employer.
“In AELP’s recent submission on how 3 million apprenticeships can be delivered, we emphasised that the need for more take-up of the programme in key public services such as the NHS and education, so it is very encouraging that the minister now wants to see this happen. We believe that the apprenticeship route for nursing and teaching can make a real difference to reduce skills shortages in these sectors and giving apprenticeships equal status as degrees will underpin this initiative.”
Link to BIS announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-kick-starts-plans-to-reach-3-million-apprenticeships
