Extended opportunities for apprentices

SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building-services engineering, has welcomed the revamp of the apprenticeship programme announced by Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education & Skills. The changes include the removal of the age cap of 25 on modern apprenticeships, the introduction of a range of apprenticeship options for those aged 16 to 25 and the establishment of young apprenticeships for 14-to-16-year olds. On the issue of young apprentices, SummitSkills will seek assistance from the Learning & Skills Council and the Government in addressing health-and-safety concerns relating to young people working on site. Keith Marshall, chief executive of SummitSkills, says, ‘Prior to our official launch, we highlighted the need to make changes within the apprenticeship frameworks, such as creating young and adult apprenticeships. At the London launch of SummitSkills in March, Charles Clarke mentioned that the Government wanted more people to take the vocational route into higher education and said he was willing to discuss increased support for the over-25s. It is encouraging to see these changes will now come about. ‘A key issue is to establish the Government’s stance on providing more funding to make this come to fruition. This is particularly relevant with regard to adult apprenticeships, where SummitSkills will look for funding to reflect the overall cost.’