Education Secretary Justine Greening has been giving evidence to the Parliamentary sub committee on education, and reaffirmed her commitment to the Apprentice Levy – “We are pushing ahead, so we need to be absolutely clear on that.”

The Construction Industry Training Board has raised grave concerns about the government’s planned new apprenticeship levy warning that it could see funding for construction apprenticeships cut by nearly a third.

Counter-fraud measures are to be set up for the apprenticeship funding programme, the government has insisted, amid warnings from the National Audit Office that not enough care is being taken to prevent a repeat of the Individual Learning Accounts fiasco.

Boosting the quality and quantity of apprenticeships through construction SMEs will be the key focus of the new National President of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

CITB has responded to a new report on apprenticeships by saying that funding must meet employer demand.

“The Department for Education needs to chart and follow a course from having a lot of apprenticeships to having the right apprenticeships in order to help improve the UK’s productivity, and achieve value for money, in return for the costs of the programme.”

 Sir Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 6 September 2016

Firms urged to offer placements as part of Construction Youth Trust and Building campaign

Building has partnered with charity the Construction Youth Trust to launch a campaign aimed at attracting school pupils into construction careers.

More than 50 Labour MPs have urged skills minister Robert Halfon to reverse apprenticeships funding cuts exposed by FE Week.

£2.5 billion will be invested in apprenticeship training by 2020 under plans unveiled by the government. 

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is concerned that the government's proposed new apprenticeship levy will cut funding for construction apprenticeships by up to 30 per cent.

As part of a pilot employers and training providers will be able to test the service from start to finish to make sure it meets their needs.

This briefing paper reviews the government's new apprenticeship system for England – why reform was needed, how well the new system will work, concerns about its effects, and its implications for policy. It also recommends how the incoming regime could be better adapted to our 21st century economy, and reverse the 30-year decline in the youth labour market.

The future of the apprenticeship advisor post to the Prime Minister remains uncertain, as a spokesperson for Nadhim Zahawi has today told FE Week he is no longer in the role.

CCATF Annual Report 2015-16 is now available.

Following the announcement of the introduction of the new “Apprenticeship Levy” most employers have been eagerly awaiting the publication of the details of the new scheme. Now, the wait is over.   

The CCATF are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Martyn Price MBE as the new Chair of the CCATF Membership Group. Following an outstanding contribution from Mr. Geoff Lister CBE, since the CCATF’s creation in 2008, Martyn takes over responsibility for the management of the Task Force at a time of some considerable levels of activity in the sector.