The UK government has changed the regulations regarding apprenticeships.

In a change announced on 11 February, 2025, apprentices aged over 19 will no longer need to qualify in maths and English to be accepted.  In addition, the minimum period for an apprenticeship has been reduced from 12 months to eight months.

In response to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, Logistics UK’s Head of Skills Policy Bethany Windsor welcomed the announcement saying that businesses have been hampered for too long by the educational requirements for apprentices and the long practical periods. “Apprenticeships provide a wonderful opportunity for new recruits to enter the sector and today’s changes to the system will make it easier and more appealing for them to do so.”

Sally Gilson, RHA (Road Haulage Association) Policy Manager – Skills, said: “We’re delighted at today’s announcement which will ensure we can get more people behind the wheel and into other roles in our industry. This is particularly pertinent given that our industry will need 200,000 new lorry drivers in the next five years to service demand and drive growth.”

The British Association of Removers (BAR) has recently announced the first dedicated apprenticeship for the moving industry.  Ian Studd, Director General of the BAR, said that he was awaiting clarification on some details from IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) and the Association’s trading partner, TRS Training.  In particular he wanted to know whether apprentices between 16 and 19 years old still require maths and English qualifications; how the changes affect government funding; and what happens to apprentices aged over 19 years who have yet to complete their course?

Ian added, however, “If the changes suggested are accommodated without having any negative impacts on structure or funding, then I think those changes could well be a good thing as one of the main objections that we hear is that potential apprentices do not want to do the English and maths syllabus as, for many of them, they have chosen to leave academia and instead engage in vocational training.”

More information about the mover’s apprenticeship is available here.

Photo: Ian Studd, Director General of the BAR.