Apprentices will have to pay to work

The unions were speaking ahead of this morning's release of a government report on apprenticeships. The bizarre anomaly has arisen because the government is changing the way courses for people aged 24 are funded.

From 2013/14 anyone aged 24 or over will have to pay the full cost of their tuition fees if they are studying for a level 3 qualification or above. They will have to fund their course by taking out a student loan. The unions said unless the government reverses its plans it is highly unlikely people aged over 24 would view a high skill apprenticeship as a viable option.

A report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee in November warned that quality, not quantity, should be the measure of success for apprenticeships and expressed concerns that the current funding structure made apprenticeships unattractive to older learners.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It simply is not right that people should spend thousands of pounds to undertake paid work. Many, understandably, will reject the idea and we will be denying them the chance to get the skills they need to get off the dole queue and help rebuild our economy. The government's policy is a complete mess and needs urgent attention if we are to deliver the high quality apprenticeships that we so desperately need.'

Toni Pearce, Vice President NUS (Further Education) said: 'It's simply not fair to ask people to take out huge loans in order to work, but it also doesn't make any sense. We need to be encouraging people to train, study and re-skill, rather than making it harder for them. If the government are really serious about opening up apprenticeships, they should urgently scrap this ill-judged policy which will see older apprentices taking out loans just in order to work.'

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, said: 'We are concerned that 100,000 young adults will be denied further training if young people have to pay the full cost of their apprenticeship training. It will hit adults and higher apprenticeships learners particularly hard and will not help rebuild the economy. If Government is genuinely committed to delivering the high quality apprenticeships that the country needs, then it should urgently review its policy on student loans.'

UCU, NUS, Unison and ATL have organised a national constituency-based lobby of MPs on Friday 8 February to challenge the new loans policy.