By Vivienne Russell
16 November 2010
Business Secretary Vince Cable today pledged to expand the number of adult apprenticeships.
In a speech to the Association of Colleges’ annual conference in Birmingham, Cable said the coalition would provide 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than the previous government planned. It will invest £605m in the programme in the next financial year and 200,000 adults will be able to start an apprenticeship by 2014/15.
‘We are not in a position to throw money at the problem, but even against the backdrop of reductions, resources will be found to expand the apprenticeship programme for adults and support more people undertaking an increasingly respected form of vocational training,’ the business secretary said.
The government also published its strategy for skills today, Skills for sustainable growth, and a parallel publication Investing in skills for sustainable growth.
The Comprehensive Spending Review cut 25% of the further education budget, but ministers say funding will be protected for programmes that provide the greatest benefits for the largest number of people. This includes the £210m invested in adult and community learning. Anyone aged over 24 who wants to embark on high-level vocational training will be eligible for government-backed loans
The business-led Train to Gain programme will be replaced with one focused on helping small and medium-sized enterprises to train low-skilled staff.
Skills minister John Hayes said: ‘The government’s skills strategy is one of the most important documents yet published by the coalition government. Helping business and individuals gain the skills they need is vital to helping the country gain economic strength and build sustainable growth in the long term.’
But the Universities and College Union said the plans were too ambitious in the current economic climate. General secretary Sally Hunt said: 'We welcome the government’s intention to raise the status of vocational education but is it realistic to expect private sector employers to take on three-quarters of a million adult apprentices during an economic downturn?
'Many adult students doing vocational courses are in low-skilled, low-paid jobs and will be forced to rely on loans to fund their study. We know from research that it is people from low-income households who are most likely to be put off by the prospect of debt. Some will decide expensive retraining financed through credit is not an option.'
