Edge Foundation and 12 leading skills organisations have written to Pat McFadden MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, urging action to protect funding for apprenticeship brokerage hubs across England. The letter calls on the Government to provide a sustainable funding stream for apprenticeship brokerage services outside the MSA pilot areas.
There is a clear need for additional support for SMEs, in the form of trusted, tailored guidance offered by brokerage services, highlighted in our recent Agents of Change report. This support will be critical to achieving the Government's mission to boost apprenticeship opportunities for young people, particularly those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). We welcome the Government's plans for an Apprenticeship Brokerage Pilot in select Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) areas, but are concerned about the long-term future of brokerage hubs outside the pilot areas. Many hubs in the National Apprenticeships Hub Network, for example, have been dependent on funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and now face an uncertain future.
We look forward to working further with our Apprenticeships Work campaign partners on this. Read the letter below.