Government funding for higher-level apprenticeships will be axed, in the hopes of getting Younger people working.

Apprenticeships have offered an alternative to university, where apprentices work and study, earning a qualification and gaining experience, which the employer funds. But now, if you’re over 21 and hoping to climb the career ladder through one of these routes? Better start saving—or praying. From January, only 16 to 21-year-olds will qualify for funding for apprenticeships, and level seven apprenticeships, those equivalent to a master’s, will no longer receive any funding.

From January, only 16 to 21-year-olds will qualify for government funding for apprenticeships. And level seven apprenticeships—the gold standard, equivalent to a master’s degree—will no longer receive any government funding at all.

These top-tier apprenticeships are utilised by professionals training in advanced or specialised roles who are usually already employed and using the scheme to upskill without taking time off or incurring debt.

In 2017, an apprenticeship levy was introduced for large employers to encourage the schemes. Since then, there has been a surge in these types of apprenticeships, which have become a lifeline for people wanting to gain serious qualifications while staying in work.

But the number of those applying to the starting entry level or level two apprenticeships, equivalent to GCSE, has dwindled.

The hope is that by cutting funding to level six and seven apprenticeships, the money generated by the apprenticeship levy will be redirected towards those under the age of 21, helping to increase employment and the number of young people working.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC, “too many people not in education, employment or training, too many people sat at home, which they don’t want to be.”

These schemes are also a significant part of some NHS advanced training, such as for district nurses who want to pursue a more specialist qualification. 

Some, like the shadow minister, are worried that scrapping the funding for these apprenticeships will cause damage to an NHS which is already struggling to recruit. —Because why stop at one national crisis when you can juggle several?

The decision also risks closing off vital career pathways for people who can’t afford university. At a time when nursing degree applications are tanking and retention rates are already in trouble, limiting access to practical, funded training feels… poorly timed at best.

For many, especially in healthcare, key professional skills are forged on the job, not in lecture halls. Take away these apprenticeships, and we’re not just cutting costs—we’re cutting talent.

Whether this shift will supercharge youth employment, further hobble the NHS, or just leave a generation of people stuck mid-career remains to be seen.