In the third of five articles for FE News themed around their Skills Means Growth vision for a sustainable skills system, AELP outlines how we can deliver a simplified, high-quality apprenticeship system in this exclusive column by their Director of Policy, Simon Ashworth.National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a great time to celebrate apprenticeships and the transformational impact they have on learners’ lives. It is also a time to reflect on how the system can be improved to enable more of that transformational change. In our Skills Means Growth vision for a sustainable skills system, we called for a simplified, high-quality apprenticeship system. The feedback we have received from stakeholders on our recent AELP CEO Roadshow has solidified this ask as one of the main pillars needed for a world-class skills system.What’s so good about apprenticeships?We know the power of high-quality apprenticeships in delivering skills training. The unique nature of apprenticeships means they combine work-based learning, with a guaranteed level of off-the-job training while also being available for all ages and at all levels. They are a symbol of quality that employers trust, which means they open opportunities in all sorts of industries, from health and social care to engineering, and beyond. The chance to earn while you learn opens career opportunities to a wide range of people and has a real ability to drive higher levels of social mobility.The reforms to the apprenticeship system which resulted in the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, have been crucial in delivering over a quarter of a million high-quality apprenticeship starts each year and boosting the apprenticeship brand. The levy must continue to fund an employer-led all-age, all-level, apprenticeship system as originally intended. It is also important that the apprenticeship brand continues to be enhanced by having routes right through to level 7. A strong apprenticeship brand is part of the reason why there is such buoyant demand for apprenticeships and we should celebrate that, on average, 98% of the DfE’s apprenticeship programme budget has been used over the last two years.The apprenticeship levy and apprenticeship budget. That said, the amount raised by the Apprenticeship Levy has accelerated in recent years, stoked mainly by rising inflation, with receipts up 8% this year to date, and according to OBR forecasts are expected to reach close to £4bn during 2024/5. Meanwhile, the apprenticeship budget has increased at a much slower pace, with the Treasury taking a massive cut – now as much as £500m a year! This is an astonishing amount of money by which employers are being short-changed. We’re calling on the government to close this gap and give businesses access to the skills provision they are paying for. Any limiting, rebalancing of priorities or rationing based on affordability would be a huge backward step and dent employer confidence.Improvements to the system are still needed, but we mustn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. During NAW 2024, we should celebrate the role of Independent Training Providers (ITPs) who deliver nearly two-thirds of apprenticeships each year and have been pivotal to the growth in apprenticeships – but we should also ask where next for apprenticeships. How can we ensure even more people right across the country can benefit from such a brilliant programme? In short, there are significant improvements that could be made – but we must be careful we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and lose the significant amount of progress that we’ve made in recent years.A clear starting point would be to make further progress in ensuring the system is as simple and as accessible as possible for providers, employers and learners. This means clear progression routes, simple and clear funding rules for providers, and good career guidance – as well as the continued promotion of apprenticeship opportunities at all stages of life. Recognising that...