London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Warning apprentices quitting over quality of schemes

Warning apprentices quitting over quality of schemes

Thousands of people are dropping out of apprenticeships in England every year, after firms provided little or no training, according to a report.

The most recent official data suggests that nearly half of apprentices fail to complete their courses.

EDSK, an education think tank, found that the majority of people quitting cited "poor quality", including lack of training and bad management.

The government said it is introducing reforms "to boost quality".
Under apprenticeship schemes, which receive government funding, those aged 16 years

and over must get one day a week "off the job" to receive teaching and training.

EDSK found that many get less than the minimum weekly requirement while some receive nothing at all.

The report also said that the government allows firms to count watching online lectures as well as doing their homework as training.

"As a result, apprentices can go weeks, sometimes months, without receiving any training from a mentor or industry expert," it said.

"Training providers can still claim the maximum government funding available for each apprenticeship even if they offer no face-to-face teaching at all," it added.


'More to do'


The most recent government figures on retention rates show that 53% of people finished their apprenticeship in 2021. Therefore 47% of apprentices are not completing their programme.

Nearly 348,000 people started apprenticeships in England in the 2021-22 academic year, which is an increase on the previous period.

Applying the same 47% drop-out rate, EDSK estimates that some 163,500 of those apprentices will not finish their course, and for around 114,500 of them it will be due to the poor quality of their schemes.

It has been 10 years since the government conducted a review into the standard of apprenticeships in England.

Robert Halfon, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, said: "We know there is more to do to ensure all apprentices get a great experience, which is why we're introducing a suite of reforms to boost quality."

He said this will include "refreshing" the register of training providers and strengthening accountability.

Education watchdog Ofsted will inspect all apprenticeship training providers by 2025, said Mr Halfon, adding that the government has launched a new feedback service for apprentices.

EDSK said problems with apprenticeship schemes are made worse because people are not given a curriculum or syllabus before they start their training, setting out what they will learn.

"It would be a national scandal if A-level or university students were treated this badly," said Tom Richmond, director of EDSK.

The schemes are also supposed to teach young people skills.

But the report claimed that the government has allowed some to rebadge low-skill roles as "apprenticeships".

In some cases, people end up with basic tasks such as heating pre-cooked meals, greeting customers, and answering telephone calls.

The think tank wants the government to force employers to publish a detailed training curriculum and said that at least 200 training hours must be delivered face-to-face.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×