Information for adults on apprenticeships is “not good enough”, apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan has admitted.

Speaking in front of the Commons Education Select Committee, the minister said that improvements needed to be made to ensure that adults were aware they could retrain as apprentices. 

She said: “Careers is part of the FE reform, and we’ll be putting a lot more effort into making sure that that piece works because that navigates and sets people off on their life path. 

“That is a key plank, an absolute key part that we have to get right and improve, because it’s not good enough today.” 

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Ian Mearns, Labour MP for Gateshead, told the minister that apprenticeship guidance for adults was “non-existent”.

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He said: “I’m afraid to say the flow of information, advice and guidance for young people has not been good, but it’s virtually non-existent for adults who are thinking about retraining. How are we going to get embedded within the system a good process of independent impartial advice and guidance for young people, but also for adults? I’m afraid to say there’s lots of bad advice out there.”

The Department for Education is expected to publish an FE White Paper later this year, detailing reform for the system, and today prime minister Boris Johnson announced a “Lifetime Skills Guarantee”, which will give adults the chance to take free level 3 further education courses for free if they do not hold an A level or equivalent qualification.