JTL has backed claims by the the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) that the Government is backtracking on plans for publicly-funded apprenticeships for the over 25s.

Since the announcement was made in 2003, the EEF says the Government has failed to commit sufficient funding for the adult training sector, despite Prime Minister Tony Blair pledging a rise in apprenticeships at the recent Labour Party conference.

JTL chief executive Denis Hird says: “We fully support the Government’s drive to increase the number of adult apprentices. However, to reiterate the sentiments of Ian Peters, EEF’s director of education and skills, the Government has, to date, failed to deliver the funding required to turn this objective into a reality.

“The current available funding is just £1000, yet the actual cost far exceeds this. Training providers such as JTL are having to subsidise the adult apprentices themselves.”

The situation is illustrated graphically by the closure of JTL’s own adult training scheme UpSkill. The programme offered 48 free places to over 25s and was inundated with applications. However, due to the lack of realistic government funding, JTL will have to terminate the project upon completion of the pilot study.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor