Earlier this year the “think tank” EDSK produced a report “Runaway Training: Why the Apprenticeship Levy is broken and how to fix it.” (Richmond, 2020). The report attracted a fierce response from numerous stakeholders involved in Apprenticeships, particularly Degree Apprenticeships (DA), including apprentices, employers and providers, largely due to the tabloidesque headline that branded Degree Apprenticeships in particular as “fake”. However, it was also noted that there were some recommendations within the report that were worthy of further discussion and exploration.
The University of Derby and Patrick Tucker of PT Professional Consultancy Services Ltd hosted a Think Tank event in contributing to the debate about the report, recognised that there was an opportunity to bring together the author of the report, Tom Richmond from EDSK, and a range of stakeholders, in order to discuss the recommendations from the
report and to provide a balanced, coherent and evidenced based response to the report, representing the views of employers, degree apprentices and DA providers. The University
is uniquely placed within the sector, as it offers apprenticeships from L2- L7 and therefore values equally the provision of lower level and higher level apprenticeships, noting the progression opportunities that these provide, and the way in which they assist social mobility.
You can read the full report here
