Government plans to axe funding for most level 7 apprenticeships from January 2026 have triggered concern that the move could restrict career progression and hinder social mobility.
From next year, only people aged 21 and under – or care leavers and those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) – will be eligible for funding for these advanced apprenticeships, which are equivalent to a master’s degree. All existing apprentices will be funded until they finish their programme.
Department for Education data shows that out of 23,860 level 7 starts in 2023/24, just two per cent were under 19 and 34 per cent were aged 19–24, with the vast majority aged 25 and over.
Professor Raheel Nawaz, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education and Research) at the University of Staffordshire, said the move risks undoing years of progress.
He said: “We started offering level 7 apprenticeships in 2021 with steady numbers. This year we’re teaching 120 people – it’s taken that long to build the relationships in the region.”
Many level 7 apprentices come from the public sector – including the NHS, local councils and the Ministry of Defence – using the programme to develop staff and address skills gaps. Professor Nawaz said these learners are often older professionals with no other viable route to postgraduate study.
He said: “These aren’t CFOs doing an MBA on the side – these are ordinary workers who want to progress. In a previous study I did, apprentices who’d completed a digital degree apprenticeship were earning more than graduates from the top five universities one year after graduation.
“Eighty per cent of them wouldn’t have gone to university without the apprenticeship and it had given them opportunities they wouldn’t have had. The government are forgetting the social mobility element, especially in a region like ours.”
Employers can still offer Level 7 apprenticeships by paying for them directly instead of from the apprenticeship levy, but this could be unaffordable for many, especially small businesses and public services.
And the cuts could hit the Stoke-on-Trent region harder due to the perception of the area for external candidates.
Professor Nawaz said: “Employers will tell you they have vacancies that they are struggling to fill because they are based here. If you restrict the opportunities for the homegrown workforce in the region the roles may remain unfulfilled, which has an impact on the business and what it can achieve.
“It’s bad for the region no matter which way you look at it, just when we are starting to pick up momentum.
“Cutting the funding is a counter-intuitive decision – the loss to the economy will be more than the amount of money saved.”
