Higher training costs for older workers risks plan to tackle youth jobs crisis, employers say
<p>Exclusive: Ministers planning overhaul of apprenticeship funding to increase cost of over-25s training, Guardian understands</p><p>Britain’s largest employers have told the government that forcing businesses to pay more to train older workers risks damaging its goal to tackle the youth jobs crisis.</p><p>The Guardian understands ministers plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/17/make-firms-pay-more-train-older-workers-youth-apprentices-england">overhaul Labour’s apprenticeship funding scheme</a> to increase the cost of training a worker over the age of 25 in England by 25%, to encourage firms to train young people instead.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/26/training-costs-apprenticeships-older-workers-youth-jobs-crisis-neet">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Exclusive: Ministers planning overhaul of apprenticeship funding to increase cost of over-25s training, Guardian understands</p><p>Britain’s largest employers have told the government that forcing businesses to pay more to train older workers risks damaging its goal to tackle the youth jobs crisis.</p><p>The Guardian understands ministers plan to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/17/make-firms-pay-more-train-older-workers-youth-apprentices-england">overhaul Labour’s apprenticeship funding scheme</a> to increase the cost of training a worker over the age of 25 in England by 25%, to encourage firms to train young people instead.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/26/training-costs-apprenticeships-older-workers-youth-jobs-crisis-neet">Continue reading...</a>