Responding to apprenticeship reforms announced by the Government on 11 February, Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of Learning and Work Institute (L&W), said:
“It is a mistake to reduce the minimum length of an apprenticeship and remove the need to study English and maths. England is already an outlier compared to other countries with shorter apprenticeships and far less general education like English and maths. Lowering standards in this way will increase this disparity, and only gives the false illusion of increasing opportunity. If training doesn’t require 12 months, it can still be valuable but isn’t necessarily an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships should prepare people for future careers, which will increasingly need good English and maths. We should invest to make that work, or risk limiting opportunity and growth.”
Contact our press office3 Tachwedd 2026
The road to net zero: How far have we come?
Commissioned by NOCN Group, this report finds that the number of people being trained in green skills and jobs is rising. However, current training uptake, qualification pathways and workforce readiness still fall short of what’s required to reach net zero.
3 Tachwedd 2026
UK risks missing Net Zero target owing to shortages of skills and workers
New L&W research, commissioned by NOCN Group, reveals key sectors for decarbonisation lack the workers and skills for the UK to reach Net Zero by 2050.
29 Hydref 2026
Time to make the Youth Guarantee real: A promise and plan for every young person
Ahead of the publication of the Milburn Review, L&W’s chief executive Stephen Evans proposes five actions to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
28 Hydref 2026
Tax bills and investment in skills: How can tax relief on training better support UK engineering and manufacturing?
A new Skills Tax Credit could unlock £2.2 billion of additional investment in skills according, to new research commissioned by Enginuity and produced by Learning and Work Institute.
28 Hydref 2026
A Skills Tax Credit for businesses could unlock £2.2 billion skills boost, including in sectors key to growth
Research from Learning and Work Institute (L&W) published today alongside the autumn budget finds that a Skills Tax Credit could produce a £2.2 billion boost to skills across the economy by incentivising more employer investment in training.
20 Hydref 2026
Labour market dashboard
Every month, Learning and Work Institute produces detailed and timely analysis of the latest labour market statistics from ONS. Explore our interactive charts.
30 Medi 2026
From appetite to opportunity
This report for The St Martin’s Group draws on a survey of more than 1,000 HR decision makers to examine employers’ plans to recruit young people, the routes they expect to use, the barriers they face, and the support they need.
22 Medi 2026
Building an AI-ready workforce: Creating a skills system that prepares UK knowledge workers for the AI transition
AI has transformative potential for the UK economy and could present a net uplift to productivity of up to £80 billion by 2035. Yet the UK workforce does not – yet – have the skills to successfully adopt and scale AI technologies in a truly transformative way.
22 Medi 2026
AI skills investment could add £80 billion to the UK economy
The UK can secure an £80 billion boost to its economy by 2035 if the Government and businesses act together to strengthen the technical skills system, according to a major report published today by L&W and The Rigby Foundation.
