This afternoon in the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer set out new measures and funding for education and
skills, including for apprenticeships and traineeships.
Commenting on the Chancellor’s announcements on education and
skills in today’s Budget, David Robinson, Director of Post-16 and
Skills at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) said:
“The additional funding committed by the Chancellor for
traineeships is welcome, given this skills development programme
has been effective in helping young people to progress into
employment and further learning. It is important that the
government does much more to make young people aware of this
programme and the opportunities that it can bring.
"The new ‘flexi-job’ apprenticeship may prove positive for young
people, allowing them to accrue important skills and experiences
in a number of roles within one sector. It will be important to
closely scrutinise the details of this new scheme, including how
it will be implemented.
"Proposals to increase employer subsidies for both adult and
younger apprentices will no doubt open up opportunities for many
people, but given we know that it is apprenticeships and
employment opportunities for younger people that have been
disappearing the fastest, they should be receiving a far greater
share of these subsidies.
"While it is encouraging to see an emphasis on further education
in today’s Budget, there are still a number of critical issues
that need addressing. Funding for further education remains
historically low and educational inequalities in the 16-19 phase
are substantial. We need to see a more enduring financial
settlement for the further education sector, together with a
Student Premium that provides more targeted support to the most
disadvantaged."
