Unlocking apprenticeships for marginalised talent
The UK has c. 812k labour vacancies. And yet, over 1.5 million people aged 16+ are unemployed, and 9.3 million people are economically inactive. Many of these people, such as care leavers, ex-offenders and neurodivergent people, find themselves frozen out of the labour market due to social, cultural or economic barriers. These labour market challenges, if left unaddressed, pose a real threat to the government’s missions to break down barriers to opportunity and kickstart economic growth.
For people from marginalised groups, the apprenticeship system, and lower-level apprenticeships in particular, can provide highly effective routes into sustained employment. Many businesses are keen to leverage it, but face challenges in translating intent into action – challenges that the government can help to address.
In consultation with over 25 leading employers, trade bodies, training providers, charities and What Works Centres, ReGenerate identified the key challenges holding employers back from taking action to maximise apprenticeships for marginalised groups. We then worked with these stakeholders to develop ideas on how the government could help by:
Targeting apprenticeships towards marginalised groups to improve work readiness;
Revising how Functional Skills are assessed and allow earlier access to Functional Skills training to increase apprenticeship starts and completions;
Reforming training providers’ payment models to incentivise them to widen access to marginalised groups; and
Extending and consolidating employer support.
Lead author(s): Claire-Emily Martin
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