Adult apprentices will no longer need maths or English qualifications

The Department for Education has announced two key changes to apprenticeships designed to help thousands more people complete training schemes each year.

Businesses will now be able to decide whether adult learners over the age of 19 will need to complete level 2 English and maths qualifications to pass.

The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will also be reduced to eight months, down from the current minimum of 12 months.

Apprentices aged 16-18 will still have to complete an English and maths functional skills qualification as a course requirement.

The changes come as part of a government drive to cut red tape and help up to 10,000 extra apprentices qualify a year by making training schemes shorter and more flexible.

It follows the launch of National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 10 to 16 February.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “Introducing more flexibility into apprenticeships is something UKHospitality has long been calling for and I’m pleased the government has acted on this.”

She added: “Giving businesses more control over the apprenticeship requirements, so they are relevant to the role, is critical and will remove a significant barrier for both the employer and the apprentice.

“Reducing the minimum duration for apprenticeships can deliver more targeted training, get people fully trained even quicker and give employees the chance to move up the hospitality career ladder.”

Last year the government launched Skills England, a new nationwide body for skills and training prime minister Keir Starmer said was designed to reduce the UK’s "reliance" on overseas workers for certain roles.

It will be chaired by Phil Smith, former chief executive of tech and telecoms giant Cisco.

A government announcement said one of the first tasks for Skills England would be to identify which apprenticeships would be best served by running for a shorter duration.

Skills England will prioritise “key shortage occupations”. However, hospitality roles have historically been left off the shortage occupation list.

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