Shadow FE minister Gordon Marsden has criticised “balls ups” surrounding the apprenticeship programme.

Speaking to Tes at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Mr Marsden said the Conservative government had made a “mess” of the apprenticeship levy. 

He also raised concerns over the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). The institute was created in April 2017, and in January took on additional responsibility for T levels.

Addressing concerns over how the FE sector had been treated under the government, Mr Marsden said: “Some of the issues in terms of the way that the [Institute] is operated, some of the, frankly, balls ups, if I can put it that way, that have been in government over that, and in particularly in terms of looking at safeguards for apprentices when FE institutions go bust, as in the HE area, we’re seeing quite a lot of that.” 

In August last year, the Department for Education said that there was no need to axe the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, despite a report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee having called for the organisation to be abolished.

Background: DfE: No need to axe Institute for Apprenticeships

News: 80% of levy-paying employers have hired no apprentices

Opinion: ‘The apprenticeship levy is set to run out. Changes are needed’

Apprenticeships: ‘Clarity’ needed for businesses

Mr Marsden also raised concerns over levy funds potentially running out. The apprenticeship levy has been a contentious issue since its introduction in April 2017. In March, Jonathan Slater, the permanent secretary for the Department for Education, said that there could be a “significant overspend” in levy funds in 2021, without an injection of additional funding or rationing over how the levy cash is used.

Mr Marsden added: “You have a situation in which, 12 months ago, we were told there’s lots of money in the system, and now there’s not. Business need clarity and learners need clarity about if they’re going to be funded or not. Small business and training providers, who provide seven out of 10 of the apprenticeships, need clarity as well.”

Mr Marsden also said that a Labour government would want to see FE and HE treated with parity of esteem, and an increase in funding for adult education.

He added: “We want to see a much broader ability for colleges to access funding, particularly to restore some of the funding for older learners. 

“If you talk to most FE colleges you’ll find that they are very upset and disappointed that they cannot offer much for older learners at all. We would want to look very carefully at getting rid of the advance loans and having grants.”

A fringe meeting at the conference earlier today heard from Croydon College’s chief executive and principal, Caireen Mitchell, who said that the college had already used up its adult skills funding allocation for 2018-19, just days into the start of the new academic year.