In the coming years we want apprenticeships to be seen alongside university as a great option for young people who want the best jobs, the best careers and the best chance to get on in life. Apprenticeships are key to our strategy to raise the age of participation in education or training for all young people to 17 from 2013 and to 18 from 2015, with high-quality vocational training clearly recognised as a mainstream route for young people.
This draft Apprenticeship Bill is published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills. The Departments are launching a joint consultation on the Bill's provision.
The Bill will:
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establish a statutory basis for the Apprenticeships programme, to set out the relationship between different parts of the apprenticeship system and ensure employers and apprentices can be confident that an apprenticeship offers a high-quality route to acquiring skills;
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place duties on the Learning and Skills Council to secure sufficient and appropriate apprenticeship places to fulfil the entitlement for each suitably qualified young person who wants one;
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describe the functions of the new National Apprenticeship Service and include a provision to ensure that young people in schools are fully informed about high-quality vocational training opportunities.
Responses to these proposals are invited and the consultation will end on 8 October 2008.
