Under the last Labour Government, just 588 young people a year in Wallasey started an apprenticeship. Since 2010 and the changes introduced by the Conservatives, more than 1,000 young people a year have started an apprenticeship.
Now, plans have been announced to go further. With a clear plan to deliver 100,000 more high-skilled apprenticeships a year by the end of the next parliament, funded by ending the worst performing university courses.
While the UK is home to four of the top ten universities globally, too many university degrees are leaving students worse off and saddled with debt.
That is why the Conservatives will assess the poorest performing university courses based on their drop-out rates, job progression and future earnings potential and replace these with high-skilled apprenticeships so our young people can learn the skills they need to reach their full potential.
Since 2010, the Conservatives have created a world-class apprenticeship system that has delivered 5.8 million apprenticeships and now reaches nearly 70 per cent of all occupations.
Gillian Keegan, Education Secretary said:
There are no limits to where an apprenticeship can take you. Mine took me from a car factory in Kirkby to the Cabinet.
When Labour were in power they pushed an arbitrary target to get half of young people to university, creating a boom in low quality degrees – leaving far too many students saddled with debt and little else.
The choice is clear. Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour party who have contempt for apprenticeships, or Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives who have a clear plan to give young people the best start to their careers.
Our plan for apprenticeships:
- Delivering 100,000 more high-skilled apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament by putting an end to rip-off university degrees. The Conservatives will replace the worst performing courses with high-skilled apprenticeships, providing more opportunities and greater financial security for young people (Telegraph, 28 May 2024, link).
- Cracking down on university degrees that leave our students worse off and saddled with debt. The Conservatives will identify the poorest performing university courses based on their drop-out rates, job progression and future earnings potential, which leave students and the taxpayer saddled in debt (Telegraph, 28 May 2024, link).
- Delivering over 5.8 million apprenticeships since 2010, giving people the skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Since we came into office there have been over 5.8 million apprenticeships starts, with over 752,000 people participating in an apprenticeship in England between August 2022 and January 2023 alone (Explore Education Statistics, Apprenticeships and traineeships, 8 June 2023, link).
- Building one of the most powerful apprenticeship systems in the world, reaching nearly 700 different occupations, giving people the opportunity to choose their life path – backed by £2.7 billion in 2024-25. Our apprenticeship system reaches nearly 700 different occupations, from level 2 through to master’s degree level 7, with investment increasing to £2.7 billion by 2024-25 – up from £2.3 billion in 2023-24 (Hansard, 29 January 2024, Vol.744 Col.601, 29 January 2024, link).