The Association of Learning Providers has no argument with the Learning and Skills Council about the need to improve apprenticeship completion rates (“Bichard says his LSC dream has gone sour”, FE Focus, March 10).
However, the partnership between the funding agency and its providers would be helped if we were all united on this mission, especially when teachers reading your publication remain a primary source of advice for young people choosing their education and training options.
LSC official data shows that 31 per cent of young people were completing a full apprenticeship framework by the end of July 2004.
The indications are that this figure has gone up since then, and the overall success rate for achieving an NVQ within an apprenticeship is reportedly running at 51 per cent.
In December, the Chief Inspector recognised the “spectacular turnaround in the performance of the work-based learning sector”. The Government’s efforts to promote vocational learning will have a better chance of success if such achievements were more readily acknowledged by others.
Paul Warner
Operations manager, Association of Learning Providers Bristol
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