18 December 2008
By Vivienne Russell The economic downturn has cast doubt on the likelihood of the government fulfilling its pledges on apprenticeships, two committees of MPs have said. Both the children, schools & families and the innovation, universities, science & skills select committees scrutinised the Draft Apprenticeships Bill and published separate reports on December 5. The IUSS committee voiced concerns about the lack of a specific provision in the Bill to encourage apprenticeships during an economic downturn. Chair Phil Willis said: ‘It is a challenging time to be introducing employer-led apprenticeships, particularly for small businesses, and every effort must be made to ensure they are supported and receive the necessary help.’ The committee recommended that the draft Bill be revised to place a duty on the National Apprenticeship Service to help small businesses provide quality apprenticeships. The CSF committee said it had ‘grave doubts’ about whether the statutory duty on the Learning and Skills Council and successor bodies to secure apprenticeship places for anyone who wants one could be met. ‘Even if it can, we fear that the pressure of that duty could lead to the quality of apprenticeships being compromised,’ the committee stated. The government wants all suitably qualified young people to have the right to an apprenticeship place, but the MPs urged ministers to clarify what this will mean in practice. Willis said that ‘tens of thousands’ more employers would need to provide apprenticeships if the government was to meet its aspiration of 400,000 in England by 2020. Both committees agreed that the public sector could do more to provide apprenticeship places. ‘The government’s aspiration… is very much dependent for success on the ability of the public sector to take up the apprenticeship challenge,’ the CSF MPs said.
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