The BIS Select Committee's report on Apprenticeships was published this week, suggesting improvements that could be made to the scheme in order to boost the number of young people entering industry.

The report supported government’s drive to increase the number of Higher and Advanced apprenticeships, saying the UK’s workforce should be given the opportunity to become as highly skilled as possible.

However, it also acknowledged that the apprenticeship scheme must reflect the demands of sectors in terms of job roles and skills demanded.

The report said that evidence suggests the National Apprenticeship Scheme (NAS) continues to lack clarity and purpose in the longer term and needs to shift focus from the number of apprenticeship starts to put a greater emphasis on quality.

“Employers, apprentices and other stakeholders remain confused about the overarching objective of the scheme. We therefore recommend that the government defines an overarching strategy and clear purpose for the apprenticeship programme,” the report said.

It added that the NAS must not trade off between numbers, quality and brand and believes a longer-term strategy outlining how the scheme intends to maintain and improve the apprenticeship brand in tandem with its other objectives is required.

Ann Watson, Managing Director of EAL welcomed the report’s call for a clear definition of Apprenticeships, saying it would help weed out programmes that are not up to standard, providing employers and learners with reassurance over the quality of provision.

However, she commented that the constant battle for quality over quantity is a moot point.

“Yes, we need to ensure that Apprenticeships provision is of the highest standard. Learners must be given the best possible start to their careers, with rigorous assessment and training over a period of years rather than months. But we must also ensure that we are boosting the number of Apprenticeships in the UK, to meet skills demands in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing, bring down the number of those NEETs [not in education, employment or training] and provide people with an alternative and equally valuable pathway to higher education,” she said.

“While a focus on quality is extremely important, and this should be a key focus, we must also ensure that more businesses have the opportunity to employ apprentices.”

Given the widely held view that NAS should have more involvement with learners through schools, the report committee said it was disappointed by the Chief Executive’s apparent lack of enthusiasm, citing the Education Act and saying that NAS was not statutorily responsible.

“The National Apprenticeship Service should be a familiar name, known to all students and teachers as an authoritative source of information about apprenticeships,” said the report. “We recommend that NAS is given statutory responsibility for raising awareness of apprenticeships for students within schools.”

Watson supported this point, and agreed with the recommendation that schools should be required to publish the number of Apprenticeship starts each year, alongside the number of university places gained by their pupils, so that vocational and academic progression are valued equally in terms of the both the level and quality of resources.

A matter the report addressed as urgent was the fact that many businesses still consider bureaucracy and the perception of ‘red-tape’ to be a major barrier to employing an apprentice.

The report found that a significant number of small and medium sized employers (SMEs) have struggled to engage with the apprenticeship programme, and recommended that NAS engage local bodies such as local education providers and Chambers of Commerce to target those smaller companies.

“The SME sector in the UK represents a huge untapped potential market for apprenticeships but unlocking it requires far greater focus and resources,” the report said.

“While there are already strong links between training providers and SMEs it does not go far enough, and does not engage SMEs which are harder to reach.”

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock noted that over a million people have started an apprenticeship since 2010, right across the economy.

"Apprenticeships are vital for equipping people with the skills they need to prosper, and the nation with the workforce we need to compete in the global race,” he said.

"The report rightly celebrates the sharp rise in the number of apprenticeships, and steps taken to improve their quality, but there is more to do. I welcome this timely and thorough investigation into apprenticeships, and will consider carefully its suggestions to help make the programme even more successful.”