Morning, Tuesday, 3rd November 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for apprenticeships and skills policy, ahead of publication of the Government’s Action Plan on Apprenticeship 2026-2030, and following recent consultation and wider work on skills assessment, workforce planning and apprenticeship delivery. Areas for discussion include participation and progression, workforce needs and training provision, employer engagement, programme development and approval, as well as quality, governance and sustainable delivery.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine the future direction of apprenticeship policy in the context of the forthcoming Action Plan and the Programme for Government ambition to increase annual apprenticeship registrations to 12,500 by 2030. Delegates will consider what the proposed expansion will mean for apprentices, employers, education and training providers, sponsoring bodies and public agencies. They will also consider what will be needed to support participation, investment and sustainable provision, and implications for learner support, programme quality, funding, capacity and accountability.
Expanding apprenticeship participation
Discussion will focus on priorities for increasing participation among learners and employers, widening access and supporting apprentices from recruitment through to completion and progression. The conference will consider barriers experienced by different groups and how growth can be supported while maintaining the quality of delivery and the apprentice experience.
Areas for discussion include:
- employer participation: making apprenticeship workable and worthwhile for employers - accounting for the needs of smaller firms, large employers, public bodies and sectoral consortia
- costs & support: apprentice payment structures, employer grants, bursaries and other financial and non-financial measures - effectiveness in the context of principal barriers to participation
- recruitment & supervision: practical implications for employers of recruiting, training and supervising apprentices - access to guidance and support for organisations entering the system
- retention & completion: addressing factors affecting withdrawal and non-completion - priorities for pastoral, academic and workplace support throughout an apprenticeship
- awareness & guidance: improving understanding of apprenticeship opportunities, entry requirements and career prospects among learners, families, employers and careers advisers
- progression: routes to further and higher education, employment and lifelong learning - accessibility and recognition of pathways into higher-level qualifications, upskilling and reskilling
- growth & experience: impact of increasing registrations on access to training, assessment and support - maintaining confidence in programme standards and learner outcomes
Skills intelligence & training provision
The agenda will assess priorities for using labour market intelligence and workforce planning to inform apprenticeship and wider skills provision, including the role of the National Skills Roundtable. Discussion will consider how national, regional and sectoral evidence can be translated into decisions on programmes, places and investment, while enabling employers, providers and local interests to identify requirements that may not be fully captured through national forecasting.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- identifying skills requirements: roles of the National Skills Council, National Skills Roundtable, Regional Skills Fora, employers, providers and sectoral bodies
- evidence & responsiveness: timely translation of intelligence on changing workforce needs into new or expanded apprenticeship and training provision
- national & regional needs: reconciling national priorities with regional labour markets, local employer demand and differences in existing training capacity
- priority sectors: workforce requirements associated with infrastructure delivery, the climate transition, technological change, economic development and strategic investment
- demand & provision: addressing gaps between identified workforce demand and the availability, location and timing of suitable programmes and training places
- employer & provider insight: incorporating practical knowledge from workplaces and delivery organisations into programme planning, curricula and decisions on future provision
- coordination & accountability: improving co-operation and clarity of responsibility between government, employers, providers, funding bodies and regional and sectoral organisations
- funding: how skills evidence can inform the National Training Fund and wider investment decisions - the balance between established demand and provision for emerging needs
Quality, standards & programme delivery
Further discussion will examine delivery arrangements in the context of SOLAS’ Creating Futures 2026-2030 strategy and its priorities for a more responsive, accessible and agile further education and training system, and its implications for organisations seeking to develop programmes
The conference will consider insights from QQI’s focused review of quality assurance and assessment arrangements for electrical craft apprenticeships, including its findings on governance, assessment security and relationships between SOLAS and delivery providers, and their wider implications for confidence in apprenticeship provision, while recognising the specific scope of the review.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- programme development: securing approval for Consortia-Led Apprenticeships - improving clarity, proportionality, cost and pace current processes - maintaining scrutiny and consistent standards
- sponsorship & viability: securing the resources, employer commitment, governance and provider relationships required to establish and sustain programmes over the longer-term
- responsive provision: updating programmes and curricula as technology, working practices and emerging skills requirements change - avoiding unnecessary disruption for learners and providers
- quality assurance: effectiveness and co-ordination of internal and external quality arrangements - clarity around responsibilities of SOLAS, QQI, providers, employers and sponsoring bodies
- assessment governance: lessons from the focused review of electrical craft apprenticeships for assessment design, security, feedback, oversight and co-ordination with delivery providers
- provider capacity: implications of expansion and reform for staffing, facilities, equipment, timetabling and the availability of workplace and off-the-job training
- consistent experience: addressing variation in access, programme delivery, assessment and learner support - provision across sectors, regions, providers and apprenticeship models
- coordination: alignment of craft apprenticeships, consortia-led programmes and other vocational and work-integrated learning routes - tackling duplication, gaps or unnecessary complexity
- funding & sustainability: funding and commissioning arrangements needed to recognise the full costs of developing, delivering and maintaining high-quality programmes
- governance & voice: decision-making and accountability arrangements - integrating experience of apprentices, employers, providers and sectoral bodies - retaining clear national oversight
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
