The number of apprenticeships, particularly for young people and in small firms, has plummeted in recent years. So measures to try and tackle that by reducing the cost of apprenticeships to small businesses are welcome. But we need wider change to the apprenticeship system if we’re to reverse the declines of recent years. That needs to include a focus on ensuring employers of all sizes increase opportunities for young people and people with low-level qualifications in particular. Anything else risks being a drop in the ocean in the context of employers investing half the EU average in training and graduates being three times more likely to get training at work than non-graduates.