Today’s Education in the Media blog looks at the extension of the Government’s autism strategy, and promising figures on the Apprenticeship Levy.
Autism Strategy
Today, Wednesday 5 December, we issued a joint press notice with the Department for Health and Social Care on the extension of the autism strategy guide, to include children as well as adults.
The aim of this is to transform outcomes for autistic children by ensuring that they get the right support in their communities, joining up health, care and education services to address autistic children’s needs holistically.
We want to improve the transition between children and adult services, and improve our understanding of autism and all its profiles.
Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:
Our ambitions for children with autism are exactly the same as for all other children – to do well in school and college, find sustained employment and live happy and fulfilled lives. Schools and colleges already do a great job at supporting children with autism but we know there is more to do to make sure these young people are given the opportunity to unlock their full potential and succeed.
This pivotal review will help to find out how we can further our understanding of all forms of autism, improve how children and adults are supported and transform the life outcomes for people with autism.
You can read more about the autism strategy here.
Apprenticeship Levy
Today, Wednesday 5 December, the Institute of Directors released new research based on a poll of business leaders, which has found that over half of employers using the Apprenticeship Levy system now understand it ‘perfectly’. This was covered by the Times, the Metro and City AM.
The proportion of surveyed employers who now understand the system well stands at 51%, up from 36% in March. The research also shows that 54% of large businesses surveyed are now employing at least one apprentice. We welcome this survey and urge more businesses to find out more about how they can use the apprenticeship levy to help their businesses here.
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