Skills England is considering closing the Level 2 Metal Recycling General Operative apprenticeship to new starters because of low enrolment, but says no final decision has been made.
Skills England has proposed retiring the Metal Recycling General Operative apprenticeship for new starters because of what it describes as “very low starts”.
The government body is inviting stakeholders to comment on the proposal by 1 September 2026. It emphasised that retirement of the standard has “not yet been authorised”.
The apprenticeship, reference ST0507, is currently approved for delivery. The Level 2 programme typically lasts 12 months and has a maximum government funding allocation of £9,000.
It was developed to train operatives to identify, grade and separate metals while working safely and in accordance with environmental and waste legislation.
Apprentices can specialise in end-of-life vehicle depollution, weighbridge operations, material handling, material classification or the processing of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
The standard also covers waste acceptance, the identification of hazardous materials, plant and machinery operation, site administration and relevant health and safety procedures.
Employers involved in developing the apprenticeship included European Metal Recycling, Sims Group UK, S. Norton, Recycling Lives, Ward Recycling and several smaller metals businesses.
Industry asked to respond
The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), which helped develop the programme, has called for industry support in response to the proposed retirement.
The association describes the apprenticeship as a route for companies to recruit new operatives and provide career-related training to existing employees.
It says the programme was designed for businesses of different sizes and can prepare employees for roles ranging from materials classification to end-of-life vehicle depollution.
Skills England has not published the number of recent starts or the threshold used to determine that enrolment is very low on the apprenticeship’s webpage.
Its proposal relates to new starters. The standard remains approved for delivery while the review is under way.
Stakeholders can submit their views to Skills England by 1 September through the contact details provided in its official notice.
The proposal follows wider debate about access to skills and training across the resources and waste sector. In March, CIWM said the withdrawal of government support from a separate group of apprenticeship standards risked overlooking the sector’s skills requirements and growth potential.
Read Circular Online’s earlier coverage: Apprenticeship changes a “missed opportunity”, CIWM says.