What You Need to Know About the New UK Government Apprenticeship Reforms

What You Need to Know About the New UK Government Apprenticeship Reforms

The Department for Education has announced upcoming apprenticeship reforms as part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change initiative to recruit and retain talented educators and bolster the UK education system. This policy change will shorten the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) from 12 months to 9 months long, making teacher training shorter and streamlining the funnel from training to teaching. Not sure what this means for your prospective trainees, current teachers and organization? Not to worry, we’re laying out the key takeaways in this article!

Impact on Trainees

Timeframe:

The changes, proposed to start from August 2025, will make the route to education via apprenticeship qualification shorter which will reduce the wait from newly qualified teacher status to employment.

• The PGTA will now be 9 months instead of 12, which ministers hope will encourage more institutions to take on apprentices, as it better aligns with the school year.

Accessibility:

By shortening the length of the course, the Government hopes to increase the number of aspiring teachers enrolling, lowering the number of eligible applicants who couldn’t secure a place on the course:

• In 2024 around 1,200 students enrolled, with 2,800 missing out, the change hopes to address this and increase throughput for the apprenticeship.

Experience:

The PGTA offers hands-on training embedded in a full academic cycle, the proposed amendments to course length aims to mirror school schedules better, which may improve mentorship capabilities for teachers and trainees.

• Trainees will still receive continuous hands-on training, with better aligned schedules providing mentorship without compromising on the quality of teaching or educational outcomes.

Impact on Educators

Recruitment:

Recruiting and retaining talented educators by making changes to the PGTA will also impact educators; the proposed reforms aim to support the aim of attracting 6,500 new teachers during Labour’s government: 

• The UK teacher shortage is a continuous threat to the education sector; by making the teacher apprenticeship shorter, it’s hoped to generate an increase in the number of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in school, reducing pressure on current educators.

Support:

The Plan For Change includes a drive to bolster teachers in high-need subjects, these changes help to plug the gap of educators in areas like STEM and Modern Foreign Languages to support educators currently in these areas:

• Funding incentives (of up to £28,000) to support training in subjects including STEM will benefit colleagues in shortage subjects and lower income areas, reducing pressure and burnout.
• It is also hoped that shortening the PGTA courses will allow colleges and institutions who provide this training to invite the newly qualified teachers to stay on after they finish their qualifications. In the previous iteration, apprentices received qualified status within 9 months and could opt out of continuing to the end of the 12 month programme. This meant they were unlikely to stay on in these institutions.

Impact on Institutions

Financial aid:

Administrative and financial support will continue to be provided to institutions who offer to host apprentices, with incentives of £28,000 to schools and colleges training apprentices in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computing, and modern foreign languages:

• The Government’s incentives will help to reduce the financial burden on institutions hosting apprentices, while providing extra support via trainees.
• It also removes any potential government finance clawback, eradicating the chance for trainees to not complete the full 12-month apprenticeship after receiving qualified teacher status at 9 months.

Strategy:

These proposed reforms support the government’s Plan for Change, which has a target of bringing 6,500 new educators into UK institutions, this will help to protect and improve the UK’s education system, preparing it for a robust future:

• It also aligns with wider reforms in SEND, curriculum and wellbeing focus; by increasing the number of qualified teachers, departments will have more time to address and usher in these much-needed changes.

The PGTA reform presents a promising shift toward more accessible, efficient teacher training and faster workforce entry, which has the potential for many improvements within the UK educational system. By shortening the courses, trainees, educators and institutions will all benefit from a higher number of teachers, and a higher quality with which to boost the education landscape.