Home > News > November 2005 > 23-Nov-2005

Kelly: apprenticeships target met

Secretary of state for education Ruth Kelly has announced that the Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for Apprenticeships has been met.

To achieve the target over 175,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 21 have started an Apprenticeship for the first time during 2004/05 academic year.

The increase in the number of starts was accompanied by an 8% increase in the percentage of Apprentices who completed their full framework in 2004/05. The rate now stands at 39%.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is now working with Sector Skills Councils and training providers towards a target of increasing the number of Apprentices who complete their Apprenticeship by 75%, from a figure of 43,243 in 2002/03 to 75,675 in 2007/08. In 2005/06 four sectors have been highlighted for urgent action - healthcare, childcare, construction and hospitality. Sir John Cassels, chair of the group that produced "Modern Apprenticeships: The Way to Work" has agreed to chair the group overseeing this activity.

Education and Skills Secretary, Ruth Kelly, said of hitting the target: "There is nothing more important than having the skills that employers value if you want to get on at work and make the most of your working life. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to gain skills and experience. They offer a route to employment, to promotion and the skills required for employment.

"Reaching this Apprenticeships target is a very significant milestone. Since 1997 the number of apprentices in learning has tripled to over 250,000 today. This has been achieved thanks to huge efforts by colleges, training providers, the LSC and many others, including many forward looking employers."

Chris Banks, Chairman of the Learning and Skills Council, added: "I am delighted to report that we have met the PSA target of 175,000 young people starting an Apprenticeship, for the first time, during 2004/05. This is fantastic news, we now have the highest number of apprentices we have ever had in this country.

"Apprenticeships are a great way of ensuring that young people learn in the workplace to gain the skills they need to succeed in work and in life. More and more employers are recognising this and are recruiting Apprentices, to help combat existing skill shortages and ensure we have a future workforce to match our global competitors.

"Over 130,000 employers, in England alone, have apprentices in nearly 200 different subjects amongst their workforce and each one is reaping the benefits. Increasingly, employers are recognising the benefits to their businesses of having apprentices.

"Meeting this target, however, is only the beginning. There is a great deal of work ahead as we move on to a new challenge; that is to ensure that more and more young people successfully complete the Apprenticeships they start.

"The success announced today is a result of the close collaboration between industry and Government, led by the LSC to ensure that Apprenticeships continue to evolve to meet the needs employers and young people; today and tomorrow."

External link

For more information on Apprenticeships, visit: www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

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