Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Libby Purves is right to mourn the decline in the number of young people undertaking apprenticeships (“Apprenticeship scam is cheating our young”, Jan 13). While much of her analysis is spot on, I disagree with her implication that older workers and those with degrees should not receive government-funded training. A recognised shortage of management skills is a key cause of our low productivity, and many degrees do not create skills that employers value. We need both more management training and large numbers of graduates to be trained beyond their degree. To achieve a greater number of younger apprentices and enable older workers to get the training they need, we should allow the apprenticeship levy, soon to become the growth

Source: The Times January 16, 2025 00:23 UTC