Tougher apprenticeships planned to cut unemployment

By Graeme Paton. Apprenticeships will be overhauled with a greater focus on English and maths as part of a new drive to tackle the “scourge of youth unemployment”, the Prime Minister will say today. 
 Training schemes for school-leavers will be toughened up with new industry standards under proposals designed to make British apprenticeships the best in the world, according to David Cameron. In a series of changes, he will announce that future apprentices will need to demonstrate competence through more rigorous academic assessments, including increased English and maths requirements. Apprenticeships will be at least a year long and will be graded on a three-point scale – pass, merit and distinction – to put them more on par with other qualifications, it is revealed. More...