The Young Fabians Education Network held their inaugural event on 15 July at the House of Commons. Organised by Channon Zhangazha & Joel Mullan (Vice-Chair & Chair of Young Fabians Education Network), the event began by dissecting the Conservative government’s target of reaching 3 million Apprenticeship starts by 2020. However, rather than focusing on the futility of statistics, the debate focused on how to ensure the best possible outcomes for learners and to encourage businesses to offer more high quality apprenticeships

Panellists John Woodcock MP (Shadow Minister for Young People), Mike Thompson (Head of Early Careers at Barclays Bank), Ashley McCaul (Chief Executive at Skills for Growth) and Tom Bewick (Managing Director at New Work Training Ltd) led the lively member-led debate, which was chaired by Channon Zhangazha.

The recent announcement of an Apprenticeships levy was cautiously welcomed as well as the move to ensure that employers take ownership of Apprenticeships standards. A discussion subsequently ensued as to the role of training providers, the lack of adequate careers guidance in schools and the wider purpose of state education – whether solely focused on academia and higher education, or to empower students to explore more vocational routes at an earlier stage.

For more information about the member-led Young Fabians Education Network – including what you can do to get involved – please contact its Secretary, Jun Bo Chan on [email protected].

Read a storify summary of the event

Press coverage

• FE Week: "Woodcock warns against churning out numbers" (write-up)
• FE Week: Shadow Education Minister Woodcock on Panel to Look at Big Questions over 3m apprenticeship target (event preview)
• Apprentice Eye: ”Only 18% of schools educate on Apprenticeships" claims Barclays Chief
• Apprentice Eye: Interview with John Woodcock MP