Apprenticeship numbers fall by 59%

The BBC reports there has been a big fall in the number of workers starting apprenticeships since the introduction of the government’s apprenticeship levy earlier this year.

According to Department for Education figures, in the last three months of the 2017 academic year, 48,000 people began an apprenticeship. That compared with 117,000 for the same period last year.

The levy was introduced to raise £2.5bn a year for training with the aim of funding up to three million new apprenticeships.

The government had previously said it expected there would be an initial drop-off in the number of people starting apprenticeships. However, it also said, ‘It is expected that the levy will support productivity growth through the increase in training.’

Many industry experts claim the scheme has been badly organised suggesting the government’s procurement of training has been ‘disastrous’.

SHARE
Share