Quality of apprenticeships has fallen, Ofsted to say

The rapid rise in the number of apprenticeships and their expansion to skills such as coffee-making and floor cleaning, has reduced their quality, Ofsted is expected to warn this week.

Chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw is set to criticise employers for wasting money set aside by the government to deliver three million apprenticeships by 2020 on qualifications that don't teach skills at a high enough level.

Skills minister Nick Boles said: "Putting an end to poor quality apprenticeship training lies at the heart of our reforms of apprenticeships.

"Ofsted's report backs up the findings of our 2012 review and provides further evidence for our decision to put employers rather than training providers in the driving seat."

The latest figures show that more than 872,000 people were enrolled on a government-funded apprenticeship in the 2014-15 academic year, up from 851,500 the previous year.