Management apprentices are set to challenge the Institute for Apprenticeships’ decision to lower the cap on the funding band for three management apprenticeships.

The trailblazer group is submitting an appeal to the Department for Education over the cuts and has enlisted the support of 285 apprentices, who have backed their call. Some 152 employers have also got behind the appeal.

The funding band for the level 6 chartered manager degree apprenticeship has been cut from £27,000 - the top level - to an upper limit of £22,000. The IfA said if the standard was being created from scratch today, its funding band would only be £8,000, based on the amount of training, the sector subject area and an allowance for end-point assessment.

The level 5 operations/departmental manager apprenticeship has been also been cut - from £9,000 to £7,000 - and the level 3 team leader/supervisor apprenticeship has been cut from £5,000 to £4,500.

‘It makes so little sense’

Director of strategy at the Chartered Management Institute Petra Wilton said: “We simply can’t see why the government is shooting one of its most successful policies in the foot. As the overwhelming outcry from employers demonstrates, it makes so little sense.

“Especially at a time when so many employers are struggling to recruit the highly-skilled managers and leaders needed to drive up business growth and employee engagement amidst the challenges of Brexit.

“However, we are still confident that ministers, who have been so keen to showcase the early success of these programmes and the new management apprentices, will return from recess and reject this ridiculous decision.”