The House of Lords has backed an amendment to the Technical and Further Education Bill which would make apprentices eligible for bursaries, and enable the families of young apprentices to receive child benefit.

As Tes revealed last month, apprentices and their families currently lose out on a number of financial support measures which students have access to - including child benefit their families would be able to receive if they were in full-time education, and bursaries.

The amendment, tabled by Lord Watson of Invergowrie, states that the education secretary must make provision so that a person untertaking an apprenticeship can qualify for child benefit, and it would extend the higher education bursary to children undertaking an apprenticeship. A similar amendment was previously defeated in the House of Commons but this one, in spite of government opposition, was backed by the Lords. The Bill will be returned to the House of Commons, where MPs will make the final decision.

‘Second-class citizens’

Lord Watson said: “We are now just five days away from the creation of the Institute for Apprenticeships, the introduction of the apprenticeship levy and a changed landscape of technical education as the government attempt to address the skills gap inherent in the economy. To achieve success in that, they have set the ambitious target of 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

“I am certainly not critical of that target-it is better to aim high-but if it is to be reached, it cannot be in anyone’s interest for doors to be closed to young people keen to embark on an apprenticeship. But that is what is happening, at least for those from families reliant on some form of social security.”

He added the issue concerned “a relatively small number of young people”, primarily those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, but he said it touched on a broader issue: “that of apprentices being treated like second-class citizens in comparison with their peers who choose to pursue courses at further education colleges or universities”. 

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