The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that funding for the highly successful Apprenticeship Support Knowledge (ASK) Programme will end from August 2025.
The Programme, which has been funded for the past six years, has been instrumental in raising awareness of the post-16 options open to young people.
It funded a range of activities for schools, that included assemblies, workshops, mock interviews, training for teachers, and presentations for parents.
The Devon & Cornwall Training Providers Network (DCTPN) has been a key delivery partner of the Programme, working with schools and colleges across Plymouth and Torbay.
The announcement by the DfE that funding is to be cut from August of this year was met with disbelief and horror by the DCTPN.
Sharron Robbie, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are truly shocked at this news – careers advice especially that is impartial, based on local knowledge and expertise is absolutely key to ensuring young people are able to make informed choices about their futures.”
She added that defunding ASK is “short-sighted” as it has helped give apprenticeships “parity” over other post-16 options and helped young people from deprived backgrounds into “sustainable and rewarding careers”.
The DCTPN is currently trying to seek alternative funding to enable the service to continue to schools and young people across the region. In addition the team are working on their annual post-16 guide, Which Way? Your Way!, which provides information on all the post-16 routes available across Devon and Cornwall and the providers offering them.
Schools wishing to discuss future engagement with the network to help support them with their statutory obligations around Provider Access Legislation and the Gatsby Benchmarks, or wishing to access copies of the Which Way? Your Way! provider directory should contact the DCTPN via e-mail.
