The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has launched a survey of apprentices to assess the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on them.

The survey is being promoted by the IfATE’s panel of apprentices, which now has 20 new members. The revamped panel is made up of people from a wide variety of sectors and different backgrounds, and each panel member has been tasked with supporting apprenticeship standards related to their own apprenticeship.

They will report to the institute’s “route panels” - IfATE-run groups of employers who make decisions over the future of apprenticeships, and report directly to the institute’s board.

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The panel is still looking to recruit members from protective services, care services, hospitality and catering and agriculture and animal care.

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Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the institute, welcomed the new members who have joined the six existing members staying on for a second year. “They will play an important role in providing the institute, along with employers who help us to develop new apprenticeships, with invaluable insight into the experiences of the people who matter most - the apprentices themselves. This is more important than ever in these challenging times.”

Ms Coupland said she was “delighted” that the new survey will help the IfATE to gather more information and feedback from apprentices than it had ever done before.

The survey will close on 29 May, and apprentices willing to take part can do so here.

Earlier today, the government published statistics on apprenticeship starts, revealing that starts are down by 11.5 per cent compared with this time last year. 

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, warned that this situation is likely to get significantly worse as figures start to cover the period of the coronavirus lockdown.