Fully funding level 2 and 3 apprenticeships for under-25s could help to plug the post-Brexit skills gap, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has said.

The AELP has called on the government to fund apprenticeships for younger people after the “disastrous” fall in starts at lower levels for 16- to 18-year-olds.

The organisation also noted the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee’s report, published this week. The AELP said that, if accepted, the proposals would bolster the need for employers to develop home-grown talent. 

‘Vital to rebalance apprenticeships’

The AELP has submitted its recommendations to the Department for Education to improve apprenticeships after the Department for Education announced that the transition of the smaller non-levy-paying employers on to the online apprenticeship service would be delayed by at least a year to April 2020.

The organisation’s chief executive, Mark Dawe, said it was vital to “rebalance” the current system, which is starkly failing the government’s own social mobility agenda and that adopting its recommendations would increase the number of opportunities available to young people and at lower levels.

He added: “Can you imagine the outcry if the number of university places suddenly dropped by 40 per cent as a result of government reforms? This has actually happened with apprenticeships and it’s about time we saw a response from ministers.”

The other main AELP recommendations:

1. A more robust and refreshed Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP), which acts as the gateway to apprenticeship funding for all employers and as an assurance for employers that they are using a high-quality training provider
2. A more streamlined Apprenticeship Service (AS) system designed to work for smaller employers alongside a review of the associated funding agreement required for these employers.
3. Government must support and harness the power and reach of apprenticeship training providers to help non-levy-paying employers make the transition on to the AS.  In most cases, the provider needs to be able to act as the non-levy-payer’s agent to support the employer using the AS.   
4. A transitional period incorporating a dual running model for apprenticeship providers already with a government contract for non-levy employer provision and an apprenticeship service for all providers on the RoATP. The transition should conclude by April 2020.
5. A guaranteed minimum budget for non-levy employers of £1 billion per annum.
6. Avoiding at all costs a future funding model and methodology which results in a stop-go approach to employers and providers gaining access to apprenticeship funding.
7. A review of the use and level of employer contributions towards the cost of the training, including consideration of different sources of contribution to fund degree-level apprenticeship provision.