Companies welcome easing of apprenticeship rules

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes visited Peterborough College to attend an apprenticeship showcase in November

Plans to ditch a requirement for English and maths for apprentices has been welcomed by an East of England business leader.

The government announced companies would have the power to decide if the qualifications should be part of a prescribed course when employing apprentices.

Candy Richards of the region's Federation of Small Business (FSB) backed the idea but called for extra support for firms wanting to train people given the economic challenges many were facing.

Former Conservative apprentices minister and ex-Harlow MP Robert Halfon said he was concerned about reducing skill levels but supported cutting bureaucracy.

Candy Richards is development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses in East Anglia

Labour's Peterborough MP Andy Pakes said: "Apprenticeships are the golden thread that runs through all of the ambitions to build new houses, create new jobs, fix the NHS and get towards net zero."

The Department for Education (DfE) said a relaxation of the rules could mean 10,000 more apprentices are able to complete courses every year.

At a special edition of BBC Politics East, filmed in Peterborough, Ms Richards said local businesses wanted to "get rid of red tape around apprenticeships".

"Removing the requirements of apprentices to have Level 2 in maths and English is definitely going to help".

She added: "Small businesses want some financial support... There are financial barriers and we need to get rid of these."

Ms Richard said recent FSB research has found that "most small businesses are looking at reducing the headcount or keeping the same number of staff".

Former MP and ex-minister Robert Halfon at Harlow college was the first MP to employ apprentices in his parliamentary office

Mr Halfon said: "There were a lot of changes when I was apprentices minister.

"We brought in that the government - the taxpayer - would pay for all the training costs of 16-21-year-old apprentices.

"I wish we had introduced a skills tax credit to encourage more SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) to have apprentices."

But, he added: "I really worry about these functional skills. If you have maths and English, it sets you up for life."

Peterborough College's director of apprenticeships James Whybrow said it was important to make apprenticeships "relevant for particular individuals", rather than "one size fits all".

James Whybrow, apprenticeships director at Peterborough College, said apprenticeships were vital

Mr Pakes said: "We have to find the mechanisms to support small businesses.

"I think the growth in the skills levy (paid by firms) is a really important thing for business.

"I speak to Peterborough employers and people support the levy because they see it pays back into their company for the next generation of apprentices.

"The challenge now is not the money but how we make sure the money gets to the right places."

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes believes apprenticeships are the "golden thread" running through all the government's plans to boost growth and the NHS

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met apprentices and staff during a visit to the Caterpillar factory in Peterborough in 2023

Callum Mullis, an engineering student at Peterborough College, told BBC Politics East: "As I got older I realised engineering was something that I felt passionate about.

"Apprenticeship seemed the better route to go down.

"If I only went to sixth form to learn engineering I wouldn't necessarily be able to apply those skills.

"Whereas through this apprenticeship I am able to apply it and learn it at the same time."

Engineering apprentice Callum Mullis said he was passionate about engineering

Building apprentice at Peterborough College Tyler Macartney said: "I had run bars and restaurants before and had my child so I wanted a complete change in career and started working in the construction trade, self-employed at first and then for a firm.

"My boss came to say it would be a great idea for me to advance my skills and go on and do an apprenticeship.

"Nowadays they are building so many homes. You're always going to have work. There's a need for homes. Young people should be doing apprenticeships."

Tyler Macartney, apprentice bricklayer at Peterborough College

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday, 16 February at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

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