A new five-point plan for growing and sustaining engineering and technology apprenticeships for young people has been launched.
Former Labour and Conservative ministers, Lord Knight and Lord Willetts, with support from charity EngineeringUK, are championing the initiative.
Recognising the critical importance of engineering and technology for the UK and the sector’s growing workforce needs, the new plan is the culmination of a comprehensive inquiry - seeking to find solutions to reverse the worrying decline in apprenticeship starts seen in the sector over recent years.
Based on insights gathered from businesses, education providers and young people, the report contains five key policy recommendations for all political parties to consider.
It calls on government, along with employers and providers, to work together as a matter of urgency, to rebalance and refocus apprenticeships to make them accessible for young people.
Lord Knight, inquiry co-chair and former Labour education and employment minister, said: “Despite 20 years of reviews and reform, Britain is lagging behind our competitors in developing the skilled workforce we need to engineer a prosperous future.
“This failure to better link schools and skills wastes the great potential of our young people.
“I hope this bold and practical set of recommendations will be listened to by policymakers and practitioners and finally fix this problem.”
The five key recommendations are:
Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, added: “For engineering and technology to thrive, we urgently need more people and more diversity in our workforce.
“Apprenticeships offer a fantastic route for young people into rewarding and purposeful engineering and tech jobs, so it’s vital that they are fit for purpose.
“The recommendations in this report present practical actions for government, employers and sector organisations to improve the esteem, accessibility, structure, and funding and, ultimately, uptake of apprenticeships.”
Click here to read the full inquiry report - Fit for the future: A 5-point plan to grow and sustain engineering and technology apprenticeships for young people.