November 2023
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This conference brought out latest thinking on the way forward for improving participation and diversity in apprenticeships in England.
It was an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss how key longstanding issues can be addressed in the context of two significant new initiatives:
- the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which outlines a framework for building a more inclusive skills and apprenticeships system
- the UCAS and Sutton Trust joint report Where Next: What influences the choices of would-be apprentices?, which found that current provision is not meeting increased demand, with young people encountering issues accessing opportunities, due to both location difficulties and a lack of apprenticeships in their chosen career area
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Ben Jordan, Head of Policy, UCAS; and Carmen Watton, Head of Priority Projects, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Areas for discussion at this conference included:
- increasing participation:
- tackling barriers for would-be apprentices across all age ranges and levels
- meeting the needs of employers, and options for supporting providers and apprentices from deprived backgrounds
- priorities for careers advice and helping students to explore options
- methods for increasing availability of places, growing the profile of apprenticeships and raising awareness
- improving diversity:
- boosting ethnic minority inclusion and recruitment of female apprentices
- closing the disability gap in apprenticeships and increasing opportunities for care leavers
- promoting the apprenticeship route as a late career retraining option, and the way forward for the Government’s returnerships initiative
- advancing the societal role of apprenticeships:
- supporting social mobility and improving regional growth
- targeted help for apprentices from disadvantaged groups to enable them to meet the challenges they face
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from CMA; Defra; Department of Education, NI; Department for the Economy, NI; Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, ROI; DESNZ; DfE; DFHERIS, ROI; DfT; DHSC; DLUHC; DSIT; DWP; GLD; HMPPS; HMRC; OLS; VOA; and the Welsh Government - as well as parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons.
