Apprenticeships | FE Week

Millions lost in fraud from Covid apprentice payments

Independent covid counter-fraud report finds only £1 million recouped in apprentice incentive scheme

Pearson drops out of EPA top 10 list

Latest Ofqual apprenticeship assessment stats drop also reveals the first-time pass rate has returned to above 90%

DWP promises foundation apprenticeships in hospitality and retail

Department also plans £140m pilot for mayors to connect young people with apprenticeship opportunities

‘Exceptionally challenging economic conditions’ cited as Acacia Training closes

The company is expected to formally appoint administrators in ‘mid-December’

Reeves puts the ‘squeeze’ on big employers with budget levy tweaks

Chancellor warned that trio of reforms ‘risks dampening appetite among levy-paying organisations already dealing with rising hiring, pension and tax costs’

‘We’re not diluting apprenticeships’: Skills England deputy hits back at assessment reform backlash

‘It’s not about reducing competency. It’s not about dumbing down – you have my word on that.’

The apprenticeships boost is not the game-changer SMEs need

The Chancellor’s funding pledge for under-25 apprenticeships is welcome, but rising labour costs and missing incentives still leave small firms shouldering too much risk. If government wants real growth, it must give SMEs the tools, not just the headlines, to hire

Analysis: Multiverse closes in on Lifetime’s apprenticeship lead

New figures show level 7 apprenticeships drove most of this year’s growth as under-19 starts fell to their lowest since the pandemic

Treasury is still skimming the levy while NEET numbers surge

A narrow NEET policy won’t shift the dial – we need to go beyond providing a safety net for those already in freefall