RIBA president urges government to reconsider exclusion of over-21s from apprenticeship funding, as new industrial strategy highlights architecture’s role in growth
RIBA president Muyiwa Oki has called on the government to carry out a full impact assessment into the decision to exclude over-21s from funding for Level 7 apprenticeships.
Speaking in response to the publication of the government’s industrial strategy earlier this week, Oki said the defunding decision was at odds with ambitions to build a skilled workforce and deliver long-term growth.
“It’s not too late to rethink the decision around Level 7 and we urge the Government to undertake a full impact assessment of the consequences of defunding,” he said.
The wider Industrial Strategy, published by the Department for Business and Trade, seeks to strengthen UK industrial output through support for the professional services and creative industries sectors.
The document highlights the global success of British architecture and includes references to planning reform and the mutual recognition of qualifications, both of which are among the proposals RIBA has previously advocated.
Oki said, “Architecture straddles both the professional and business services sector, and the creative industry sector – two key areas prioritised in the Strategy – so has a unique part to play in helping to deliver the Government’s growth plans.”
He added that the inclusion of RIBA recommendations in the strategy was welcome but said removing funding for mature apprentices undermines the government’s own objectives.
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