MPs demand clarity on job training policy
THE BUSINESS, Innovation and Skills committee has called on the government to simplify and clarify its apprenticeships scheme in order to deliver better results and value for money.
The committee, chaired by Adrian Bailey MP, said the government must formally define an apprenticeship, and that this definition must include developing skills – not just consolidating or validating existing skills.
Policymakers, including policy architect Vince Cable, must also set an “overarching strategy and clear purpose” for the programme in order to make judging its success or failure more transparent, they said.
“Money does not guarantee success,” Bailey said. “The apprenticeship programme needs clarity, oversight and, in these straitened times, to demonstrate that it’s providing value for money.”