Rt Hon Anne Milton MP
Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills
One of the best bits of my job is hearing from employers up and down the country about how apprenticeships have helped their businesses to grow. It’s wonderful to see, first-hand, how they have transformed the lives of the people taking up the opportunities that apprenticeships offer.
Whether it’s a young person looking at their next steps, an older person upskilling, someone who is looking to get back into the job market or looking for a career change, an apprenticeship / apprenticeships are a brilliant opportunity.
Apprenticeships are available in many sectors
Apprenticeships offer people the chance to earn while learning and give the option to train at every level, right up to degree level in a huge range of professions from cyber security to fashion.
I am very proud of the progress we have made, but there is still more to do.
They’re brilliant for business too. Employers have reported benefits such as improved productivity, improved product or service quality, improved retention of staff, as well as the benefit of new ideas that apprentices bring to their organisation. Employers talk about their apprentices as a ‘breath of fresh air’ bringing passion and enthusiasm into the workplace.
Apprenticeships are now at a far higher standard
But what makes me most proud about the changes we brought is improved quality of apprenticeships. In the past, apprenticeships were too short, with too little off-the-job training. Apprentices weren’t learning the skills they needed. Apprenticeships are now longer, higher-quality, with more off-the-job training and a proper assessment at the end. There are now 400 of our new, high-quality apprenticeship standards available with many more in the pipeline.
I’m calling on everyone – employers, parents, teachers and apprentices to help spread the word on how incredible apprenticeships are. So, do please take a look at our new website www.apprenticeships.gov.uk it provides lots of helpful advice and you can find out about all the great apprenticeship opportunities available across the country.
February 2019
