A new inquiry into the quality of apprenticeships and skills has been launched by the Commons Education Select Committee in an attempt to “root out” poor provision across the sector.

The inquiry will seek to identify whether more can be done to improve provision, and to examine what barriers learners from disadvantaged backgrounds face when accessing skills training.

Robert Halfon, chair of the committee, and former apprenticeships and skills minister, said at the Skills Show in Birmingham today that  “too much” of apprenticeships and skills provision does not meet the required standard, and that the inquiry would establish how best to “punish” poor providers.

The inquiry comes after Ofsted reported last year that 37 per cent of FE provision was less than “good”.

‘Punishing poor providers’

Mr Halfon is expected to say: “Social justice and productivity is at the heart of the work of the committee and high-quality apprenticeships and skills training should play a key part in helping people climb the ladder of opportunity…Through this inquiry, we will examine not only the quality of training but also how effective the current monitoring system is at rooting out those courses which are not up to scratch. We will also be looking at how government funding should be distributed to ensure we’re filling skills gaps, rewarding great providers and punishing poor ones.”

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