Members will have seen reporting in FE Week confirming that the Government intends to withdraw a number of apprenticeship standards, including the Level 4 Team Leader/Supervisor and the Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA), as part of a wider rationalisation of the system.
This follows last year’s decision to restrict public funding for Level 7 apprenticeships to those aged 16–21. At the time, this decision was described as “daft”. Taken together with the removal of key management pathways at Levels 4 and 6, the emerging direction of policy could reasonably be described as “double daft.”
Leadership and management apprenticeships should be a cornerstone of England’s vocational education and training offer. Their removal represents a short-sighted approach that risks undermining both opportunity for learners and the long-term productivity of the UK economy.
The Government’s stated rationale appears to be financial reprioritisation—directing funding towards entry-level apprenticeships for younger learners while reducing investment in higher-level programmes. However, this creates a false policy choice. Expanding opportunities at lower levels cannot come at the expense of the progression pathways that allow those same learners to move into leadership and professional roles.
Evidence from employers and providers challenges the persistent myth that management apprenticeships primarily serve older workers. In the case of the CMDA, around 30% of apprentices are aged 24 or under, demonstrating that these programmes are already a significant route into management for younger people. They provide a critical bridge into higher-paid careers and professional status for individuals who might otherwise lack access to formal leadership development.
The removal of these standards also risks damaging the talent pipeline. Without funded pathways in leadership and management, many employees will simply age out of eligibility before they can access higher-level apprenticeships. The result will be fewer opportunities for progression and a weakened supply of future leaders across sectors.
This matters for the wider economy. Strong management capability is closely linked to organisational performance, innovation and productivity. Curtailing investment in leadership development therefore risks undermining the very economic growth that skills policy is intended to support.
Professional bodies including the Chartered Management Institute and the Institute of Leadership and Management have already mobilised sector concern through petitions to Government.
UVAC will continue to engage with policymakers and partners to ensure that the value of higher-level and degree apprenticeships—particularly those supporting leadership and management capability—is clearly understood. These programmes are not peripheral to the skills system; they are central to building the workforce and leadership capacity the UK economy requires.
Members will be kept informed as policy discussions develop.
