The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) met to hear from the Department for Education (DfE), Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) on the future affordability of the apprenticeships programme. This follows on from the recent National Audit Office report which warned there was a “clear risk” the apprenticeship programme’s budget was unsustainable. At the hearing, the DfE’s permanent secretary, Jonathan Slater, said that in 2020/21 the levy could be significantly overspent if current trends carried on, and the government had a ‘range of choices’ to in dealing with this issue.
Also at the PAC hearing, the ESFA was asked about the increase in levy-funded MBAs. Eileen Milner, Chief Executive of the ESFA, explained that the ESFA and providers have to ensure quality assurance measures are in place to assure the added value of these apprenticeships.