Billy Camden

Business administration, accountancy and carpentry could be among apprenticeships in scope for funding band uplifts, FE Week analysis suggests. Skills minister Jacqui Smith this week commissioned Skills England to provide urgent advice on which apprenticeship standards most used by under-25s are not funded at a “sufficient” level to incentivise take-up among training providers and employers.

The controversial payment model for the government’s flagship apprenticeship units may change for some of the short courses after providers warned that the structure could destabilise delivery. Speaking at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ national conference today, DWP work-based skills director Kate Ridley-Pepper revealed officials are already exploring alternatives to the 30/70 payment split for larger apprenticeship units.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith has refused to rule out further restrictions that shift apprenticeship funding to young people, warning it is “not the end of the road” for reform following the recent defunding round.