Press Release: Ministers’ repeated failures on training
In response to the Government’s announcement on employer-based training, Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, David Willetts, said:
“This Government has failed before. Why should they do any better this time round? In recent years, the number of young people who are doing nothing - the so-called NEETs - has risen and the number of Advanced Apprenticeships has fallen.”
On the Government’s announcement that McDonald’s has won approval to offer courses which could form part of an A-level, he added:
“We want to see better vocational qualifications but they should have value in their own right rather than falling victim to the Government’s obsession with linking them to A-levels.
“For the new qualifications to work, they should be rigorous and transferable. It’s not for Gordon Brown to specify how much they’re worth. That should depend on what employers and academic institutions think of them.”
Notes for Editors
1. The Government has today published the results of its apprenticeship review, as well as a paper on employer-based training. (www.dius.gov.uk)
2. According to figures issued on 16/01/08, the number of people aged 16 to 24 not in employment, education or training (the NEETs) has increased by 223,000 to 1,243,000 since 2002. The proportion of this age group who are NEETs has risen from 15.8% to 17.1% over the same period. (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LMS_FR_HS/WebTable14SA.xls)
3. The Government has consistently missed its targets for the expansion of apprenticeships. In 2003, Gordon Brown announced apprenticeship numbers would rise to 320,000 by 2006. But, in 2006/07, there were only 239,100 apprentices in training. (Hansard, 9/4/2003, col.282; Learning and Skills Council, First Statistical Release, 18/12/2007)
4. In the past, all apprenticeships led to a level-3 qualification (i.e. an ‘A’ level equivalent). But they now cover lower levels as well and the number of advanced apprenticeships declined from 126,000 to 97,000 between 1999/00 and 2005/06. (http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-ilrsfr14-dec07.pdf)