A STUDY carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has called on the Government to give training providers and employers financial incentives to take on apprentices without a grade 4 pass in GCSE English and maths, and then support them to achieve these qualifications.

Elise Temple, director of education and skills at Nacro said: “The Government keeps saying that university is not for all pupils. This is true, not every young person is suited to or wants an academic route.

So, there must be a range of high-quality options both academic and vocational available to all young people regardless of where they have come from. Yet minimum entry requirements on apprenticeships, as this report shows, are doing little other than locking disadvantaged young people out.

One in three young people on free school meals do not achieve the equivalent of five good GCSEs by the age of 19, locking them out of many education and work opportunities. We support these calls from the NFER to incentivise businesses to help young people achieve their vital Level 2 English and Maths qualifications alongside their apprenticeships, to support our most disadvantaged young people.”