Toby Perkins MP, Shadow Minister for Apprenticeships and Lifelong Learning has promised to raise industry concerns about the Department for Education’s plan to stop the monthly publication of apprenticeship starts.

Department for Education Officials have announced that they will stop publishing their monthly apprenticeship starts figures from May until further notice. It means that the sector will be prevented from seeing the impact that the Covid-19 outbreak is having on apprentice recruitment numbers, which are expected to fall sharply.

Toby said: “Coronavirus is an economic as well as health emergency, and we already know that without further government support it will lead to a collapse in provision and erode the opportunities available to current and future apprentices. In that light, it is alarming that the ESFA is suggesting that the means of monitoring the impact on apprenticeship numbers will be removed. Having announced the decision they then go on to say they are consulting on it.

I will be contacting them to understand what current difficulties prevent them from continuing to publish this information and urging them to seek ways to ensure that this important information continues to be available so that Government can properly target any measures they take to address any shortfalls.”