Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy report on apprenticeships

Responding to the publication of a report on apprenticeships from the Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy, Teresa Frith, Senior Skills Policy Manager for the Association of Colleges, said: “AoC has always said that there will be tensions between the Government and employers over the way apprenticeship levy money is spent. “The Government is keen to see high level apprenticeships in STEM subjects, but we may find that what employers need or want is a more generic apprenticeship at a lower level. Individual employers will understandably focus on what is best for their own business, rather than what is necessarily best for the UK or even their own sector. The pattern of demand and delivery is still unknown. “AoC would like to see careful monitoring of how employers’ choices over the apprenticeships they want and need, is reflective of what the Government wants if it is to tackle the UK’s skills gaps.”