1st Special Report - Apprenticeships and traineeships for 16 to 19 year olds: Government Response to the Committee's Sixth Report of Session 2014-15

This is the government's response, published 20 July 2015.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it welcomes the Committee's report and sets out its commitment to grow the apprenticeship and traineeship programmes, accepting most recommendations but rejecting those on careers plans, work experience and reviving Young Apprenticeships.

• The government accepts the recommendation to review the incentives for schools to provide careers advice, pointing to Ofsted's role and destination measures, which it says are "planned to form a core part of school accountability metrics from 2016".
• It rejects requiring schools to publish a careers plan and work towards the Quality in Careers standard, saying it does not consider mandatory requirements "the most effective way" to improve careers provision. It also rejects the recommendations on work experience and reviving Young Apprenticeships.
• On the post-Trailblazer system, it accepts the recommendation and says it is developing policy on long term governance arrangements and "will communicate about this in due course", with the aim of all apprenticeship starts on new standards "from 2017/18".
• It accepts the recommendation on employers taking on apprentices, committing to 3 million starts in this Parliament and saying it "will publish further information about our plans in this area in due course".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error