Government Scraps Higher-Level Apprenticeship Funding

One outcome of the announcement is that public funding for level 7 apprenticeships will be removed for people aged 22 and older from January 2026. Level 7 apprenticeships are a higher-level qualification equivalent to a master’s degree. FE Week analysis for the most recent full academic year, 2023-24, showed that out of 23,860 level 7 starts, only 2% were for under-19s, while 34% were aged 19 to 24.  

In the announcement, the government is promising 120,000 more training opportunities for young adults, and those who need to retrain, with an extra 30,000 apprenticeship starts to be created during this Parliament. 

In real terms, this announcement will render many level 7 apprenticeships unviable, as the majority of starters are over the age of 22. Level 7 apprenticeships also provide a significant avenue of training for NHS workers, such as for district nurses looking for a more specialist qualification. In the Government’s report, maximum funding on offer for training related to health and social care is capped at £3,000. This follows on from the Government’s harmful decision to shut the overseas care worker visa route, despite the social care sector currently having 131,000 vacancies.  

The Department for Education (DfE) said today the reforms “rebalance” the apprenticeship budget “towards training at lower levels, where it can have the greatest impact”. 

At DR UK, we are concerned that the removal of funding for this higher-level apprenticeship closes off another route for Disabled people to gain a higher education qualification. According to the Office for National Statistics, 25% of Disabled people aged 21 to 64 years had a degree or equivalent as their highest qualification, compared with 42.7% of non-disabled people. Systemic barriers throughout education and employment mean young Disabled people often do not get the same work experience opportunities, or face discrimination in the workplace – as a result of this, we move through education and training on a different timeline. This does not end at the age of 21, or 24, nor do our impairments. We are concerned at the prospect of having yet another avenue of training and learning closed off to Disabled people.   

Disability Rights UK offers support for Disabled people navigating the post-16 education and employment landscape. We have an Into Apprenticeships guide for Disabled people, as well as a Future Ready Hub with more resources!