Government urged to refine foundation apprenticeships strategy

Each foundation apprenticeship is expected to provide a mix of employability skills and behaviours, technical knowledge and skills, and associated English and maths. 

Employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry, on top of fully funding the training costs through the new Growth and Skills Levy.

Commenting on the new report, Beatrice Barleon, head of policy and public affairs at EngineeringUK, said: “Addressing the shortages of engineers and technicians will be crucial in enabling the UK to prosper and grow. 

“We therefore welcome the development of foundation apprenticeships and their aim of enabling more young people to access training in key sectors, including construction, and engineering and manufacturing.

"However, we urge the government to be open to refining this new offer – to ensure they work for employers and young people alike. We hope our new report will help policymakers ensure the rollout of foundation apprenticeships is successful in addressing skills shortages across England."

Barleon added that if foundation apprenticeships meet the criteria outlined in the report, it will ensure employers and young people have clarity on their purpose and will encourage uptake across businesses of all sizes. 

“Crucially, it will also ensure providers are equipped to deliver the training and will maintain high quality standards,” Barleon continued.

"We encourage the government to learn from the successes and shortcomings of previous programmes and build in evaluation, and if necessary iteration, from the outset of the roll-out of foundation apprenticeships.

"Government must work closely with industry to ensure that the skills system is responsive to employers’ needs. We look forward to continuing to facilitate these connections."