The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has called the withdrawal of funding for 16 apprenticeship standards by government a ‘missed opportunity’.
The UK Government has announced a major overhaul of apprenticeships as part of a plan to create 200,000 jobs for young people.
£1 billion is set to be invested in grants that encourage employers to take on young people in apprentice positions.
However, CIWM has criticised the withdrawal of funding for 16 apprenticeship standards, including team leader, operations manager and cleaning and hygiene specialisms.
Katie Cockburn, CIWM Senior Director of Policy & Education, said the decision was ‘another missed opportunity’ and overlooked the green skills needs and growth potential of the resources and waste sector.
“Employing over 140,000 people and worth £24bn to the UK’s economy every year, our sector is a key contributor to the UK’s net zero and resource resilience ambitions,” Cockburn said.
“The sector is working hard to address skills gaps and improve sector attractiveness as we drive towards greater resource efficiency, higher recycling levels and circular economy opportunities.”
Cockburn continued that CIWM recognised the importance of focusing on support to get young people into work. However, she said the withdrawal of apprenticeships support at key levels will be ‘disappointing’ to businesses and organisations across the sector.
“As a leading training and accreditation services provider, CIWM will continue to work with its members, client partners, and with government to build the case for a more proactive approach to incentivising and enabling high-quality training opportunities for our sector,” Cockburn said.
“Good employers know that investment in upskilling, reskilling and training their staff is vital to deliver jobs, growth and key skills development across a dynamic sector that provides the bedrock for a more circular and resource efficient economy.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden set out a series of measures as part of what the government is calling a ‘New Deal’ for young people.
These include a new Youth Jobs Grant scheme, which will pay businesses £3,000 for every person aged 18-24 they hire who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for six months.
The government is also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range of 18-24, and creating an Apprenticeship Incentive of £2,000 for each new employee aged 16-24 taken on by an SME.