Weakest training provision found in the care, customer service, administration and retail sectors
Too many apprenticeships are poor quality and employers need to take greater ownership of this type of training to boost the quality, a report from Ofsted has said.
The report, Apprenticeships: developing skills for future prosperity, found that while apprenticeship numbers are increasing, many schemes fail to give learners the skills and knowledge employers need.
It said that employers should work more closely with schools and further education providers to address this.
Government efforts create three million more apprenticeships by 2020 were also examined and the report said this ambition was being “undermined” by the variable quality of programmes available.
Ofsted inspected 45 apprenticeship providers, such as colleges and private companies, and found a third were not providing sufficiently high-quality training.
The report accused employers and providers involved in poor quality, low-level apprenticeships of "wasting public funds and abusing the trust placed in them by government and the apprentices".
Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of education, children's services and skills for Ofsted, said: "The reforms are commendable. But we are kidding ourselves if we think good intentions are enough."
Inspectors found weaker provision in sectors where employers and providers had little previous experience of apprenticeships, particularly in the care, customer service, administration and retail sectors.
Many were found to have a high proportion of apprentices aged 25 and over, involved little or no formal training and lacked collaboration between employers and providers to plan apprenticeships that taught the skills employers needed.
Employers with the best apprenticeships, according to Ofsted, were in the motor vehicle, engineering and construction sectors.
These were found to provide good on and off-the-job training and were well assessed and planned. Wilshaw urged employers to take ownership of apprenticeships and called for better local co-ordination.
He said too many employers had not engaged with schools or organised themselves effectively to make the apprenticeship system work.
"Employers have got to take ownership. Why isn’t there a recognised structure to deliver apprenticeships at a local level? This is my challenge to you. Organise yourselves. It’s no use waiting for others to put structures in place and then bemoan the lack of progress made. Use your networks and knowledge to find solutions," Wilshaw said.
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), which represents training providers who deliver more than 70 per cent of apprenticeships in England, said the Ofsted report had been “based on a very small sample”.
Stewart Segal, AELP chief executive, said: "We want to drive more improvements and engage more employers but we do not feel that the Ofsted report is balanced and does not recognise the important role of entry level programmes in the service sector which are providing excellent opportunities for people in the workplace.
“Nobody is more concerned about the quality of apprenticeships than training providers. Clearly there are improvements we can still make and we are pleased Ofsted is now focusing on the apprenticeship programme," he added.
Neil Carberry, CBI director for employment and skills, warned that the government's plan to introduce a apprenticeship levy could increase the issues Ofsted has identified.
“Companies are worried that the introduction of the apprenticeship levy will lead to a focus only on quantity. High standards policed by an independent employer-led body is an essential part of avoiding this,” he added.