Government to regulate use of the term ‘apprentice’
The Enterprise Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Lords yesterday, will place legal protection on the use of the word ‘apprentice’.
A study from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) earlier this year criticised apprenticeships for failing to tackle the problem of youth unemployment. The government’s plans would place the word ‘apprenticeship’ on a similar standing to the word ‘degree’ and according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills the move will prevent the term being “misused to promote low-quality courses”.
Changes which came into effect in May this year mean that employers in England (but not in Wales or the rest of the UK) can employ apprentices under the new “Approved English Apprenticeship” scheme, provided that they operate within a sector where there are approved apprenticeship standards. Approved English Apprenticeships can provide greater flexibility for employers.
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