Government launches new pre-Apprenticeship scheme
The government has announced a new pathway programme to encourage more young people into Apprenticeships.
Places have been cleared for 10,000 16-24 year olds to take part in the pre-Apprenticeship scheme, which replaces the UK’s Programme Led Apprenticeship (PLA) system.
The move was welcomed by the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) as a positive step forward in formulating a publicly-funded skills system that is more dynamic and responsive to the needs of the economy.
According to the ALP, the now abandoned PLAs were damaging the Apprenticeship brand because they left too many young people with no employers to go to after finishing the course.
Paul Warner, ALP’s director of employment and skills, said the announcement represented a more cross-governmental approach to avoiding a lost generation of young people.
“Our biggest challenge now is finding enough employers who are willing and able to take on apprentices in the current economic climate, but training providers are working hard locally to persuade businesses of the obvious bottom-line benefits of investing in skills,” said Mr Warner.
Jason Rainbow
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