Apprenticeship funding reform must not tie up hairdressers in red tape, warns NHBF

Government plans to give hairdressers and barbers control of apprenticeship funding could be an administrative headache, and potentially deter salons from taking on young apprentices, the NHBF has warned.

In response to the government’s announcement that it intends to push ahead with plans to give employers direct control of apprenticeship funding, NHBF president Paul Curry said:

Much of what the government is doing around apprenticeship reform is positive. The new, employer-developed ‘trailblazer’ standards, for example, have the potential to transform training in a very beneficial way."

“But we continue to have serious reservations about the government’s plans to make employers contribute £1 for every £2 of government money put into training and to move control of apprenticeship funding away from training providers and on to employers.

“For small and micro salons the time and administrative burden of this – on top of leading a lot of the actual day-to-day training – could be intense. The risk is it will put salons off taking on apprentices altogether, something that would not just damage our industry but would be a disaster for the many young people attracted to hairdressing and barbering as a career.

“We are disappointed the government has said putting employers in charge of funding in this way is a ‘non-negotiable’ part of its reform agenda, and urge ministers to reconsider. But we shall, of course, continue to work closely with the government to ensure the process of taking on an apprentice is made as simple and cost-effective as possible.”