Apprentices dropping out of courses due to 'box-ticking' and 'weak' management

Apprentices dropping out of courses due to 'box-ticking' and 'weak' management, report warns Employment experts are calling on Labour to subject apprenticeships to the same scrutiny as university courses Sign up to the News Newsletter I agree to receive updates and information about my account, the GB News Community, and related products and services from GB News. Email address Sign up By signing up you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and Community Rules.

Thank you for signing up! See the latest from GB News here . Choose GB News on Google - add us as a preferred source Choose GB News Support GB News Champion free speech and independent journalism while unlocking exclusive benefits. Support us A charity has warned young apprentices are dropping out of courses due to a "box-ticking" approach to training and "weak" management. The Sutton Trust report said a lack of apprenticeship opportunities and poor access to information and advice have also led young people to find a "mismatch" between expectation and reality.

More than one in three (35 per cent) apprentices in England do not complete their course, and the figure is higher among 16-to-18-year-olds (36 per cent) and those from deprived areas (38 per cent). The research suggests that low wages and financial challenges are contributing to some young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds dropping out of apprenticeship courses. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The charity interviewed more than 300 apprentices under 30, including 100 who had dropped out of their course, to understand what drives apprenticeship non-completion among young people.

The report said many young apprentices reported having "weak or even absent" line managers, which left them "struggling" to manage their course. Some young apprentices also described training as a "box-ticking exercise" rather than equipping them with workplace knowledge, skills and behaviours. The charity is calling on Labour to explore targeted incentives for training providers, focusing on apprenticeship achievement rather than just the number who start.

Labour has stressed the importance of apprenticeships | GETTY Apprentices should have a minimum requirement for face-to-face off-the-job training, with tighter enforcement of training requirements, it added. Head of Research and Policy at the Sutton Trust, Billy Huband-Thompson, said: "Apprenticeship supply has not caught up with demand, meaning many young people don’t have the luxury of choice. "This can often lead to a mismatch and a greater likelihood that they won’t see the course through.

Young apprentices often find themselves with weak line management and low-quality off-the-job training, much of which is delivered online. "Apprenticeships can offer a great induction to the world of work but too often they fall short of this promise." LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Electrician's apprentice on ditching university for a trade that could earn him £100k a year Graduate jobs crisis exposed as 140 applicants fight for every vacancy and opportunities plunge by almost HALF Youth unemployment climbs as Labour's apprenticeship 'revolution' hires only 160 Britons in eight months The report laid bare the state of apprenticeships in the UK | GETTY The charity is calling on Skills England to introduce a line management training unit for SMEs taking on young apprentices, to help businesses build the skills needed to deliver successful apprenticeships.

Employers should also offer to tackle financial barriers facing apprentices, such as compensating travel costs, addressing hidden costs like equipment, and aiming to pay at least the Real Living Wage, it added. Sutton Trust chief executive Nick Harrison said more attention should be paid to non-completion rates, calling for apprenticeships to face the same scrutiny as university courses. He said: "Young people describe poor training, inadequate support and pay they struggle to live on.

The opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ is enticing, but too often the reality doesn’t live up to the promise." Liberal Democrat MP Ian Sollom is warning courses are not delivering what they promise | PA Ian Sollom, the Liberal Democrat spokesman for universities and skills, said: “The Government has focused on creating more apprenticeships, but the benefits are diluted if young people don’t finish their course. "More than a third of apprentices drop out, and young people from disadvantaged areas are the most likely to fall through the gaps.

"Apprenticeships are a fantastic pathway for young learners to develop the practical skills they need for well-paid and rewarding careers. "But this report from the Sutton Trust shows the reality that, for too many, poor training and weak support mean these courses aren’t actually delivering what they promise. “No young person should be forced to quit because of travel costs or a benefits system that penalises their family, and employers, especially small businesses, need far more help to train and support apprentices well."

The report warned apprentices are not finishing their courses | GETTY In response to the report, a Government spokesman said: "Apprenticeships remain one of the most effective routes into a good career, and the facts show that apprenticeship achievement rates have increased by nearly five per cent to 65.4 per cent "It’s misleading to assume that every apprentice who leaves a course has failed. Apprentices may leave courses for a variety of reasons, including securing a new job or changing career direction.

"Our focus is on quality, and we have robust measures in place to ensure training providers offer a high standard of service, so that every apprentice can finish their qualification and feel supported along the way." Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter News Pregnant Briton dies in Nigeria as devastated family set up fundraising page to bring body home News Halfords fined £600,000 after tyre fitter killed during roadside repair News World's 'greatest' military air show leaves RAF base at centre of terror probe News NHS nurse at heart of trans changing room row appeals court ruling on gender discrimination case News Birmingham councillors chant 'Free Palestine' after vote to ban Israel-linked investments Exclusive News How an 80s fashion revival created a 20-year British business success story News Appeal launched over controversial 125ft gas drilling rig near Scarborough News Ketchup sachets SAFE from EU diktats but Labour says any ban ‘would be our choice’ News Kellogg's removes rice... from Rice Krispies due to 'changing weather conditions' News UK set to face Christmas tree shortage after hottest ever summer as Britons warned they might miss out News Houses of Parliament could face 'Notre Dame-style fire' as renovation costs skyrocket News Out-of-work tree surgeon fined after demanding to see 'white British person' at job centre News Schoolgirl, 12, killed after being hit by double-decker bus in horror crash 'while on lunchbreak' News MI5 will not face contempt of court charges despite admitting its evidence was a lie News Ann Widdecombe's house goes on sale just months after brutal murder News Yorkshire power station could host one of Britain's largest data centres in deal worth billions News 'Do you want beef with the devil?'

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