UK Government introduces ‘fast track’ apprenticeships reforms
Young people will be given a quicker route into high-quality jobs on major projects as the UK Government slashes red tape to fast-track the process.
Image courtesy Department for Work and Pensions
As industries evolve, so must the training that prepares people to work in them. Whether it’s new safety standards on building sites or the skills needed to construct and operate the latest offshore wind turbines, apprenticeships need to keep pace.
A new accelerated approach will mean updates to training or development of new short courses can be completed in as little as three months, ensuring the workforce is ready to deliver the major projects that will drive growth.
This forms as part of the Growth and Skills Levy reforms, delivering 50,000 more apprenticeships for young people backed by £725 million funding. These measures will play an integral role towards the Government’s ambition to get two-thirds of young people into higher-level learning or apprenticeships.
The offer will help companies meet their business needs more quickly, while reflecting the Government’s consultation on ensuring companies bidding for major infrastructure contracts contributes to high-quality jobs, skills and apprenticeships. It reinforces the Government’s expectation that investment in workforce development should go hand in hand with delivering major projects and driving growth.
To mark the start of National Apprenticeship Week, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden visited Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, to see first-hand how apprenticeships are delivering skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing and engineering.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Britain’s future depends on getting more young people into good jobs with real prospects. These reforms will slash bureaucracy so we can train people faster in the industries where they’re needed most.
“At Cammell Laird, I’ve seen how apprenticeships are delivering the skilled workforce our country needs — from shipbuilding to advanced manufacturing. We’re building on that success with our additional £725 million Growth and Skills Levy investment to create 50,000 new apprenticeships.
”We need to give more young people a faster route into secure, well-paid work by ensuring British businesses have the talent they need to grow.”
The latest reforms come as the government ramps up support for young people to take up apprenticeships, including through a recent major £725 million investment to pivot the system towards the workforce of the future. They will make the process more agile and responsive to employers’ needs and allow training to be delivered more quickly where employers need skills most.
As part of the new Major Investment and Infrastructure Service, this will support the delivery of major infrastructure and private investment projects from Northern Powerhouse Rail to new energetic materials factories for UK defence and ensure local people have pathways into new jobs.
The system will use occupational experts to meet specific needs and will focus on making quick revisions to existing standards, for example updating construction standards in the light of regulatory changes following Grenfell.
During the visit, the Secretary of State met apprentices working on one of the largest apprenticeship programmes in the UK maritime industry and visited the local Engineering College, which trains over 100 apprentices a year in partnership with Cammel Laird.
Cammell Laird is a major UK shipbuilder employing hundreds of apprentices across Merseyside, working closely with local education providers to train the next generation of engineers, welders and project managers.
David McGinley, Chief Executive Officer of APCL Group said: “APCL Cammell Laird was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden to its facility ahead of National Apprenticeship Week. The Secretary of State’s visit provided APCL with the platform to demonstrate the importance of our award-winning apprenticeship programme to the UK’s industrial capability.
“Our Group is currently supporting over 270 young people in their training across the UK. APCL Cammell Laird and the wider APCL Group’s shipbuilding and ship repair capability is underpinned by our apprenticeship programme which continues to deliver the next generations of shipbuilders and engineers.
“The ongoing success of our apprenticeship programme is vital if we are to ensure that the UK retains its shipbuilding strength. APCL remains deeply committed to this scheme.”
The new accelerated approach will allow government to move faster where demand is highest, delivering priority updates to apprenticeships more quickly, while maintaining quality standards — supporting sectors critical to growth, productivity and national infrastructure.
The announcement coincides with the 19th annual National Apprenticeship Week, which focuses on Skills for life.
Recent reforms to the Growth and Skills Levy will deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities. The reforms will support 50,000 new apprenticeships, helping more young people move quickly into secure, well-paid work while supporting employers to grow.
Employers and training providers are encouraged to engage with Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions to help shape accelerated apprenticeships and to make use of the Growth and Skills Levy to invest in their future workforce.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "Apprenticeships give young people real experience, real prospects, and a real route into good careers.
"But for too long young people have been held back from the opportunities they need to get on in life because of outdated assumptions about how to make it into a successful career.
"We’re unlocking opportunities for young people across the country by making it easier and faster to get the skills that matter, so more young people can build a secure life for themselves."
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "It’s vital that we provide opportunities for people to develop the skills employers need, helping them into good jobs and in turn growing the economy. Apprenticeships are a key part of this, providing routes into a wide range of sectors and enabling people to learn on the job while earning money.
"This new clearing-style service will give young people all the information they need on how to apply for apprenticeships and offer pathways into other opportunities if they miss out on their top choice. With this improved support, more young people will be able to access high quality apprenticeships and in turn lasting careers, helping to close skills gaps and boost our economy.
"This week, ministers across government are expected go on visits across the country to champion reforms to boost apprenticeships, back British industry and equip young people with the skills needed to seize the opportunities created by the government’s unprecedented investment in transport, energy and housing infrastructure projects."
Today, the Work and Pensions Secretary will join apprentices and employers at the TfL Apprenticeships Fair, ahead of the first under?20 train drivers beginning training this spring.
In Bristol, the Employment Minister Diana Johnson will meet young jobseekers and providers at a regional jobs fair, showcasing the growing opportunities across the West of England.
Later in the week, the Minister for Climate will meet apprentices at the Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby, while clean energy careers will be highlighted at the Clean Energy Jobs Fair at Barnsley College, where employers including Octopus and ITM Power will demonstrate new pathways into the energy workforce of the future.
The Department for Work an Pensions and Ministry of Defence are also expected to announce a first of its kind partnership to create direct routes from Jobcentre Plus into Armed Forces careers.
The partnership will highlight the transferable skills the Armed Forces provide, from engineering, cyber and logistics— bringing the MoD and DWP closer together in supporting young people into high?skill, high?paying careers.
Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said: “Apprentices are the lifeblood of a project like ours. We’ll be recruiting 1,500 over the course of construction, with 540 of those coming from our host county of Suffolk, and they’ll work across a huge range of roles here.
“Apprenticeships not only help deliver nationally significant projects like Sizewell C, they help meet the skills demand for our industries and offer a vital engine for social mobility in the UK, offering young people opportunities regardless of their background.
“Accelerating routes into apprenticeships means accelerating opportunity, social mobility, and growth here in the UK. So we absolutely welcome the measures announced today by the Work and Pensions Secretary.”
Tania Gandamihardja, Group HR Director at BAE Systems, said: “We currently have a record 5,100 apprentices in learning and they are critical to our skills pipeline. They enable us to deliver programmes of national importance such as the Global Combat Air Programme, the UK’s next-generation SSN-AUKUS submarines and Type-26 frigates alongside disruptive technologies such as cyber, space and drone capabilities.
“This announcement will accelerate our ability to offer new and updated apprenticeships keeping our people at the forefront of cutting-edge defence technologies. Incorporating the most advanced innovations in apprenticeships will also help us attract the 1,100 apprentices we need to join our company this year. We will work closely with the UK Government to create the new apprenticeship standards to meet the skills needs of the defence sector.”
Becki Robertson, Vice President of Human Resources for Agratas, said: “Battery manufacturing in the UK is advancing rapidly, and to deliver projects of great scale and ambition like ours, we need people with the right skills, at the right time.
“This accelerated approach to apprenticeship and short course delivery will make a real difference to our business and the battery sector, providing agility and flexibility to respond to industry developments, and delivering the vital skills we need now and in the future.
“It will help us maximise apprenticeship pathways for our evolving requirements, develop a talent pipeline and upskill our workforce, supporting us to deliver this critical project at pace.”