Young people will be given a quicker route into high-quality jobs on major projects as the Government slashes red tape to fast-track the process
- Faster approval process to update apprenticeships and develop short courses to address urgent skills needs in major projects
- Reforms come ahead of National Apprenticeship Week to help young people move into high-quality jobs faster while turbocharging growth
- Bureaucracy tackled to cut apprenticeship approval times from 18 months to as little as three months as government continues drive to help more young people onto apprenticeships
Young people will be given a quicker route into high-quality jobs on major projects as the Government slashes red tape to fast-track the process.
As industries evolve, so must the training that prepares people to work in them. Whether it’s new safety standards on building sites or the skills needed to construct and operate the latest offshore wind turbines, apprenticeships need to keep pace.
A new accelerated approach will mean updates to training or development of new short courses can be completed in as little as three months, ensuring the workforce is ready to deliver the major projects that will drive growth.
This forms as part of the Growth and Skills Levy reforms, delivering 50,000 more apprenticeships for young people backed by £725 million funding. These measures will play an integral role towards the Government’s ambition to get two-thirds of young people into higher-level learning or apprenticeships.
The offer will help companies meet their business needs more quickly, while reflecting the Government’s consultation on ensuring companies bidding for major infrastructure contracts contributes to high-quality jobs, skills and apprenticeships. It reinforces the Government’s expectation that investment in workforce development should go hand in hand with delivering major projects and driving growth.
To mark the start of National Apprenticeship Week, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden visited Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, to see first-hand how apprenticeships are delivering skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing and engineering.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Britain’s future depends on getting more young people into good jobs with real prospects. These reforms will slash bureaucracy so we can train people faster in the industries where they’re needed most.
“At Cammell Laird, I’ve seen how apprenticeships are delivering the skilled workforce our country needs — from shipbuilding to advanced manufacturing. We’re building on that success with our additional £725 million Growth and Skills Levy investment to create 50,000 new apprenticeships.
”We need to give more young people a faster route into secure, well-paid work by ensuring British businesses have the talent they need to grow.”
The latest reforms come as the government ramps up support for young people to take up apprenticeships, including through a recent major £725 million investment to pivot the system towards the workforce of the future.
They will make the process more agile and responsive to employers’ needs and allow training to be delivered more quickly where employers need skills most.
As part of the new Major Investment and Infrastructure Service, this will support the delivery of major infrastructure and private investment projects from Northern Powerhouse Rail to new energetic materials factories for UK defence and ensure local people have pathways into new jobs.
The system will use occupational experts to meet specific needs and will focus on making quick revisions to existing standards, for example updating construction standards in the light of regulatory changes following Grenfell.
During the visit, the Secretary of State met apprentices working on one of the largest apprenticeship programmes in the UK maritime industry, and visited the local Engineering College, which trains over 100 apprentices a year in partnership with Cammel Laird.
Cammell Laird is a major UK shipbuilder employing hundreds of apprentices across Merseyside, working closely with local education providers to train the next generation of engineers, welders and project managers.
David McGinley, Chief Executive Officer of APCL Group said: “APCL Cammell Laird was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden to its facility ahead of National Apprenticeship Week.
“The Secretary of State’s visit provided APCL with the platform to demonstrate the importance of our award-winning apprenticeship programme to the UK’s industrial capability.
“Our Group is currently supporting over 270 young people in their training across the UK. APCL Cammell Laird and the wider APCL Group’s shipbuilding and ship repair capability is underpinned by our apprenticeship programme which continues to deliver the next generations of shipbuilders and engineers.
“The ongoing success of our apprenticeship programme is vital if we are to ensure that the UK retains its shipbuilding strength. APCL remains deeply committed to this scheme.”
The new accelerated approach will allow government to move faster where demand is highest, delivering priority updates to apprenticeships more quickly, while maintaining quality standards — supporting sectors critical to growth, productivity and national infrastructure.
The announcement comes ahead of the 19th annual National Apprenticeship Week, which focuses on Skills for life.
Recent reforms to the Growth and Skills Levy will deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities.
The reforms will support 50,000 new apprenticeships, helping more young people move quickly into secure, well-paid work while supporting employers to grow.
Employers and training providers are encouraged to engage with Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions to help shape accelerated apprenticeships, and to make use of the Growth and Skills Levy to invest in their future workforce.
