“The apprenticeship brand is strong in the UK, and it is great that skills are part of the General Election debate. But the announcements by the Conservatives do not deliver the reform that many employers want and shows the need for policymakers to work closer with business on solutions.
“It does not address the failures of the apprenticeship levy, it does not focus on the intermediate level skills that our economy needs or focus on young workers. After all, we need both apprenticeships and university courses to provide pathways for young people to flourish and overcome labour and skills shortages to help our economy to grow.
“We are still left with an apprenticeship levy that is making apprenticeships for 16–18-year-olds very costly and employers better off if they do fewer apprenticeships than more. It also drives apprenticeships for older workers, when we also have got to get young people into work.”
REC comments on apprenticeship announcements by the Conservatives
Commenting on apprenticeship announcements by the Conservatives, Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, said:
