Government apprentice target under threat

The government's target of having 400,000 young people in apprenticeships by 2020 could be under threat due to the economic recession, according to two parliamentary reports.

The select committees have warned that the apprentices bill is unlikely to be passed in its present form and said that employers were more likely to cut back on apprentices during tougher business conditions.

The Children, Schools and Families Committee and the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee have both called for more government assistance to small businesses which could take on such apprentices.

They also warned that if standards of apprentice were allowed to slip to meet the government's target the effect would be counter-productive as fewer employers would be willing to take a chance on apprenticeships.