Modern apprenticeships: filling the skills gap?

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the Modern Apprenticeship scheme is financed and managed largely by Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) which are regionally based. The article reports on a study carried out amongst a sample of TECs which examined their financial commitment to Modern Apprenticeships, and their views on the responsiveness of employers and trainees to the scheme. The study found that the funds devoted by different TECs to Modern Apprenticeships vary quite widely, but in general, were minimal compared with money devoted to unemployment containment strategies such as Youth Training Schemes. It is concluded that, unless there is both robust financial commitment to apprenticeship training and a scheme which is national, rather than local in focus, it is unlikely that the United Kingdom will produce a labour force capable of competing with our European trading partners.