A report published by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has warned that apprenticeships that last less then 6 months provide “no real benefit” to learners or employers.
The Committee also said that England lagged behind other countries in terms of the size of its programme and proportion of apprentices taking advanced-level courses.
The report however did praise the work being undertaken by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, outlining that for every £1 spent on the apprenticeship programme saw a return of £18 to the wider economy.
Committee chair Maragret Hodge stated “The department has done very well in raising the number of adult apprenticeships, which more than quadrupled in the four years to 2010/11. The proportion of adult apprentices who successfully completed their apprenticeship also rose, to more than three-quarters in 2012/111 compared with just a third six years before”.
From August this year new rules will be introduced that mean that the majority of apprenticeship courses have to last at least 12 months.
