The government’s apprenticeship reforms are surely the biggest in a generation. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy and changes to apprenticeship funding and design are game-changers.

We’re now a year into the new system, with many elements (such as the design of employer-led standards) still rolling out. Much discussion focuses a lot on the significant fall in apprenticeship starts since the reforms were introduced. This makes the government’s target of 3 million starts by 2020 looking increasingly out of sight. But I’ve always argued that, while it’s driven focus and investment, it’s a somewhat arbitrary target that doesn’t measure the ultimate objective.

The real debate is whether the fall in starts represents a failure (with employers unable to get what they want) or a success (as the focus shifts to higher-level apprenticeships with more training). The boring answer is that it’s probably a bit of both, but that it’s too early to tell definitively.

Nonetheless now is a good time to take stock of where we are and think about where next. Particularly with a spending review coming up and 2020 not so far away. That’s exactly what a new Learning and Work Institute essay collection, bringing together leading thinkers, aims to do.

Preparing for the future

It focuses on how to make sure the quality of all apprenticeships matches the world’s best. Quality means a lot of different things. An apprenticeship should prepare people for future careers not just current jobs, but some apprenticeship standards are too narrow. This is something Tom Richmond, one of the architects of the reforms, points out in his essay. We’ve also suggested ways to change this, like only approving standards that meet this broader test.

The apprentices who’ve contributed to the collection also highlight the importance of line managers, experiencing the whole of the business, and peer support. This can be as important as the quality of the training (and with 51 per cent of providers inspected by Ofsted last year being rated inadequate or needing improvement, more needs to be done here too).

Apprenticeships need to be of high quality, but it’s also important everyone has a fair chance to access one. Our research has shown gender segregation, under-representation of people with health problems and disabilities, class divides, and that applications from people from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background are half as likely to succeed.

Apprentice premium

What to do about this? Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, argues for a social justice fund paid for from the levy. This echoes our call for a quality and access fund and an apprentice premium. In this context, the government’s recent announcement of a £1,000 bursary for apprentices who are care leavers is welcome; it builds on our research showing some groups are at particular risk of missing out and that providers often find current funding streams too complex to access.

Looking ahead, Julie Nugent from the West Midlands Combined Authority argues for a greater role for local government in integrating apprenticeships with wider economic and social development so they have a bigger impact. This is something Joe Dromey from IPPR echoes, also arguing for a wider skills levy. This is a good debate to have: once the levy has bedded down, what should be the role of local government in raising demand and can the levy’s remit be widened without losing focus?

Permanent revolution is too often the history of our sector, so the last thing we need is to throw the current reforms away and start again. And there is lots to welcome in the new system: the levy in particular was a bold move.

We think the debate now is about how to evolve the new system so it delivers consistently high quality and opportunities open to all. I hope our new essay collection is a helpful contribution to that debate, an agenda for the next steps in the apprenticeship revolution.

Stephen Evans is chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, which has published  All change: Where next for apprenticeships?