Earlier this week the government published the Future of apprenticeships in England: guidance for trailblazers and the Apprenticeship funding reform in England: payment mechanisms and funding principles.

The apprenticeships programme is already successful and provides proven benefits to employers, apprentices and the wider economy.

Following recommendations made in the Richard Review, the government has set out plans to reform apprenticeships to make them more rigorous and responsive to the needs of employers. These reforms announced in the Future of apprenticeships in England: implementation plan last October are giving employers more control over the design of apprenticeships and their assessment. This will ensure that apprenticeships benefit the economy for years to come.

Employer-led trailblazers are leading the way in developing the new world class apprenticeships. The first eight trailblazers were announced in the government’s implementation plan.

These trailblazers developed the first 11 clear and concise apprenticeship standards, which are now published on the apprenticeships website. A second phase of trailblazers has now been launched involving leading employers in 29 sectors. Details of these groups can be found in the trailblazers guidance.

Giving employers direct control over the funding for the external training of their apprentices will help them to have more control over the quality and relevance of apprenticeships.

Building on the results of the funding consultation last summer and the later decision, announced in the Autumn Statement, to issue funding direct to employers using HMRC systems, this consultation sets out a core model that could be implemented either through PAYE or an apprenticeship credit and seeks views on these two payment mechanism options.