East Midlands Chamber has cautiously welcomed a government pledge to increase investment into lower-level apprenticeships but warned measures must not cut off ways to upskill without requiring traditional education.
Measures the Department for Education says will create 120,000 opportunities for training from a £3bn budget include a ‘refocusing’ of funding from Level 7 apprenticeships to lower-level schemes from January 2026.
East Midlands Chamber director of resources Lucy Robinson said: “With the skills shortage a persistent challenge to businesses, and 7 out of 10 firms having reported in our Quarterly Economic Survey that they’ve struggled to find suitable candidates, apprenticeships can be a brilliant solution, giving employers a talent pool that has relevant industry skill.
“While increased investment into apprenticeships will be music to the ears of many firms looking to recruit, tilting the spend in favour of lower-level schemes must be responsive to what businesses need – not give with one hand, take from the other. A candidate should have the option to take on a Level 7 apprenticeship, instead of only having the option of taking an academic route to get into some higher-level professions.
“A classroom can go so far in preparing candidates for employment, but the social interaction of being alongside workers from a specific industry and the real-world learning that can be gained from an apprenticeship is priceless. Listening to what firms say they need and striking the right balance to prioritise that is crucial.”
