Boris Johnson vows to rip up apprenticeship rules to help poor white kids climb the ladder of opportunity

0
325

BORIS Johnson has vowed to rip up apprenticeship rules to help poor white kids “climb the ladder of opportunity”.

The Prime Minister pledged to do more to help children from poorer backgrounds, and to kick start a revolution in the way people are trained.

Boris is set to reform the Apprenticeship levy

His comments come after he was urged to reform the apprenticeship levy by Tory MP Robert Halfon.

The Levy is is a UK tax on employers which is then used to fund apprenticeship training.

It requires companies paying more than 3million a year set aside 0.5 per cent of their payroll for training.

However, critics say employers aren’t doing enough with the cash, with less than 10 per cent of it being spent in the first year of the levy.

In 2018 the Commons select committee report demanded stronger, clearer oversight of how apprentices are trained and assessed.

Numbers have slowly plummeted since the levy was introduced, with many employers finding the ways they can use the funding restrictive.

The former Conservative Party Deputy Chairman thinksdegree apprenticeships should be the crown jewel in a revamped technical offering, with students getting good jobs without incurring mountains of debt.

Speaking at PMQs, he said: Despite the clear improvement in educational standard and the funding, white working class boys massively under-perform at every stage of the education system compared to their better off peers.

Given the exciting infrastructure projects on the horizon and the high value apprenticeships that will be unleashed, does my right honourable friend agree that reforming the apprenticeship levy will help white working class boys climb the skills ladder of opportunity?

Backing the plans, the PM said: Apprenticeships plans play vital part in the progression of the kids he is talking about.

Robert Halfon urged the Prime Minister to reform the levy

It is absolutely right we should follow his advice and reform the apprenticeship levy.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education will be updating the house in due course on our proposals.

It was claimed earlier this year a levy shortage has led to apprenticeship providers turning away up to 40,000 small employers.