SummitSkills welcomes apprenticeship review
Summitskills has welcomed the Richard Review as a useful reminder of what makes a real apprenticeship. Keith Marshall, chief executive of SummitSkills said of Doug Richard’s recommendations, ‘We have long argued for a tightening up of the definition of “apprenticeship” to describe a person learning a new job and not just an existing worker upgrading their skills and are pleased to see that the review appears to have responded to this and other points we made in our submission.’
The Government’s skills strategy for the whole of the UK is due in February 2013.
Keith Marshall comments, ‘While it is good to have a fresh look at the subject of apprenticeships, we feel it is important that we learn from existing good practice and resist the temptation to make change for change’s sake.
‘Doug Richard is right to highlight that apprenticeships should focus on the needs of the employer and the learner, and should not be driven by training providers. This requires engagement with employers, and in a sector dominated by small and micro businesses, SummitSkills is well paced to support that approach.’
