Alex Burghart, the then Minister for Skills, revealed in May 2022 that the UK Government was focussing on simplification of the current apprenticeship programme from August 2022. The Government is seeking further improvement to the current system via implementing measures to reduce bureaucratic burdens, make the system as simple and user-friendly as possible and giving apprentices the finest possible experience.
Four improvements were mentioned in the announcement. These included:
- Making it simpler for apprentices to accelerate their apprenticeship by placing a greater emphasis on provider assessments of learning and experience.
- Introducing a uniform baseline for off-the-job training, which will stipulate the minimum number of hours that a full-time apprentice must spend in training.
- A change to English and maths requirements for Level 2 apprentices who start with the lowest level of prior attainment in English and maths.
- Providing a more efficient payment service for providers by reducing the data need for payments, as well as improving financial reports.
Further to the above, the 2022 to 2023 funding rules will apply to apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023. Further information can be found at Apprenticeship funding rules – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
