Following the Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission’s criticism of the Government’s apprenticeship programme, with its finding that the drive for apprenticeships is failing to deliver for young people, enei chief executive Denise Keating commented:

“Vocational training is crucial for those who can’t reach their potential through the academic route alone. Apprenticeships also allow employers to ensure the development of skills that they repeatedly complain young people aren’t being taught in the education system, such as team work, time management and customer services. However, the current apprenticeship policy is clearly not fit for purpose. Too many employers are using apprenticeships to accredit the existing skills of long term staff or are not training apprentices in skills at a higher level than they already have and often failing to provide apprenticeships to the very young people who the scheme is supposed to be targeted towards.

“This is a real shame. A Higher Level apprenticeship is the equivalent to a degree, but with the added benefit of both earning money and developing soft skills that are absent in formal education. Unfortunately, Higher Level apprenticeships made up just 4% of all starts in 2014/15. As these are the apprenticeships that make a real difference for young people, the Government must urgently find a better way to incentivise employers to provide this level of training.”