The plans announced will open up the scheme to more young peopleThe Skills Minister has announced government plans to open up the traineeships programme to more young people to help them prepare for apprenticeships and other work.
Nick Boles, the Skills Minister, will also announce measures to publish data and improve how providers are funded, in order to build on the programme’s start after 10,000 young people participated last year. The changes come on the back of a consultation by the government to ensure that the traineeships have the best results for young people.
The joint Department of Education and Business Innovation and Skills proposals received positive responses from those involved in the scheme, including employers, students and training providers. The respondents to the consultation overwhelmingly supported wider eligibility for traineeships and welcomed a more consistent approach to funding across the 16 to 24 age group.
Nick Boles, speaking at the Association of Colleges annual conference said: “More than 10,000 young people have already started a traineeship with firms like BT and Barclays – and they are proving a fantastic opportunity. But there is much more potential, so I want to see training providers and employers offer many more places.
The changes I am announcing today are based on feedback directly from those involved in the programme. I am confident it will be even easier to create top quality traineeships, focused on getting young people into apprenticeships and other jobs.”
As well as gaining widespread support from employers of all sizes, the TUC and CBI came together in August 2014 to mark the first anniversary of traineeships by announcing their joint support for the scheme.
