APM calls on government to halt proposed cuts to project management apprenticeship funding

The Association for Project Management (APM) has today called on government to halt a proposed cut to the Level 4 Associate Project Manager Apprenticeship that would reduce funding from £9,000 to £6,000.

We have written to Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, Minister of State for Education, warning that failing to reject the proposed funding cuts would result in;

1. An end of high-quality Project Management Level 4 Apprenticeships with no providers able to deliver.
2. At least 2,600 fewer apprenticeship starts next year.
3. A compromise to the UK’s chances of developing the skills it needs for future success.

The cut has been proposed by the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA), but our position, based on consultation with employers, is that reduced funding would render the delivery of a high-quality apprenticeship standard a virtual impossibility.

Speaking about the proposed cuts, Debbie Dore, Chief Executive of Association for Project Management said: “Apprenticeships provide a highly credible and effective work-based solution for project skills development, but this proposed cut would render it financially nonviable for providers to continue to run high quality apprenticeship programmes. Ultimately this will result in a reduction of the talent pipeline and a very real impact on the UK Economy, which is heavily reliant on the project profession for success.”

Evidence provided by employers who represent over 50 per cent of all project management delivery has suggested that businesses will simply not be willing to enrol apprenticeships onto lower quality programmes and will be unable to afford to stump up the 33 per cent shortfall themselves.

Since its launch in 2016 the project management profession has embraced apprenticeships with enthusiasm with apprenticeship numbers rising. In fact, the Level 4 Associate Project Manager Apprenticeship is in the top 10 per cent of all apprenticeship standards. APM believe that the decision to cut funding as proposed by IfA will severely undermine this progress and so should be halted immediately.

APM have collected a list of those organisations who have confirmed their support of this appeal and urge others to contribute by emailing happytosign@apm.org.uk Their names will then be published alongside the others, on our website.

As of Wednesday 14 November the letter to Rt Hon Anne Milton MP is supported by the following;

Corporate supporters

• BT (Ann Potterton – Head of Apprenticeships)
• British Airways (Carrie Knott, Head of Centre of Excellence, Yvonne Rowell, Interim Head of Business Transformation)
• Lloyds bank (Kathryn Marshall, Senior Manager Apprenticeships)
• Royal Mail (Peter Horsted)
• Kier (Kate Nightingale)
• Mott MacDonald (Paul Dilley)
• Fujitsu (Victoria Ward, Chair of Apprentice Academy board, Nick White, Head of Junior Talent)
• Science Technology Facilities Council (Helen Johnson, Head of Apprenticeship and Graduate Schemes)
• Savilles (Noel Peries, Head of IT Projects)
• Ladymead Projects Ltd (Peter Curtis, MD)
• Corndel (Sean Williams, Chief Executive)
• NCFE (David Gallagher)
• APMGroup (Richard Pharro)
• 20/20 (Tom Vincent, Business Development Director)
• Whitehat (Euan Blair, CEO)
• Mooreskills (Sara Challinor, CEO and Denise Weir, Director of Operations)
• Academy for Project Management Ltd (Joseph Alba, Executive Director)
• Gen2 Training (Paul Storey, Managing Director, and Gary Martin, Head of Operations)
• LDN Apprenticeships (Rebecca Jennings, Director of Apprenticeships)
• Estio (Jon Paul Rimington) 
• Just IT (Simon Perriton)

Individual supporters (early career professionals in Project Management):

• Bob Clift
• Rosie Allen
• Nicola Anderson
• Lloyd Heavens
• Isobel Voyles
• Julia Game
• Debbie A Clark
• Kate Ross
• Jonathan White
• Ann Withrington
• Kashif Taj
• Jenny A Taylor
• Nicola Anderson
• Paul Moran
• John M Griffin
• Jess Morgan
• Peter Horsted