Henley’s response to the Government’s apprenticeship policy

In a recent party-political conference, the Prime Minister stated the Government’s intention to make changes to apprenticeships. Most notably, he expressed a desire to: “Rebalance funding in our training system back to young people.”

Since that speech on 24 September 2024, Henley received some communications from the Department for Education. Here is an excerpt:

“The PM has announced the introduction of shorter duration apprenticeships (i.e. less than 12 months) and new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted, growing sectors like construction, green skills and digital. The Prime Minister has also announced that levy funding will be removed from a significant number of level 7 apprenticeships. Level 7 apprenticeships that are no longer eligible for levy funding will continue to be available for employers to fund, and learners who have started these apprenticeships will be funded through to completion.”

The Department for Education has informed us that Skills England will engage with employers and training providers over the Autumn to discuss areas where funding for level 7 apprenticeships will be restricted, and that a decision will follow in due course.

It is likely that the Level 7 Senior Leader Level apprenticeship may will be impacted by the changes. With this in mind, we are intending to increase the number of cohorts available to our clients in the coming months.

With over 75 years of delivering leadership and management education to experienced managers, we know how valuable and impactful this learning is. Learners talk of the transformative effect of their programme in terms of their personal development and professional growth as leaders, while the applied nature of the learning leads to real impact in their organisations.

At Henley, we believe passionately in the value of life-long learning, and the need to provide programmes that hone critical, analytical and creative thinking abilities – an urgent skills gap, according to employers (World Economic Forum, 2024). From early career talent to middle managers, we are committed to developing a transformative leadership skillset for our learners.

Henley will respond to any changes by taking our rich learnings from the past seven years of being an apprenticeship provider, to continue to develop programmes which meet employers’ and the Government's requirements. We are also reviewing our offer for new and early career talent. Should the levy be 'rebalanced' towards young people, we will aim to have programmes ready for our clients and young people.