Morning, Tuesday, 2nd June 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for apprenticeships in England. It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss key issues for delivery, governance, and progression across post-16 provision following publication of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
Foundation apprenticeships
Delegates will assess priorities for foundation apprenticeships and the rollout of modular apprenticeship units, including broad themes around funding, progression, and alignment with Local Skills Improvement Plans. Sessions will look at Youth Guarantee structures and support for young people not currently in education, employment, or training, alongside wider considerations for staffing, curriculum design, and resource planning.
Further discussion will examine the role of employers in programme design and implementation, and how modular and apprenticeship units can complement foundation apprenticeships while maintaining coherent learner pathways.
Sector needs
The agenda will consider how apprenticeships can address skills gaps and Industrial Strategy sector priorities, looking at employer engagement in supporting local and sectoral workforce development. Delegates will assess issues around balancing national priorities with local labour market needs, small and medium-sized enterprise participation, integrating apprenticeship units into existing provision, and coordination between the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and Skills England. Governance, funding, and data-sharing arrangements, and how these can support scalable and sustainable implementation, will also be examined.
Access, progression & assessment
Widening participation and social mobility will be discussed, including approaches for ensuring equitable access and clear progression, particularly for learners with additional needs. The agenda will look at inclusive practice across employers, providers, and local partners, and how progression into sustained employment and higher-level training can be supported alongside the wider reform of Level 3 provision.
Further sessions will focus on the use of Ofqual’s flexible assessment framework, including stackable and modular pathways. Attendees will reflect on emerging findings from the Independent Investigation into Rising Youth Inactivity, issues of parity across learner cohorts, and approaches for embedding progression into employment and higher-level training. Sessions will also examine integration of foundation apprenticeships and apprenticeship units into the national skills pipeline, related monitoring and accountability, and implementation of Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper reforms, alongside provider and employer capacity to deliver changes at scale.
