Britain has managed to create an apprenticeship system where money meant to help people get into work ends up paying to train people who are already qualified, already employed and already doing pretty well.

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Alan Milburn has reportedly questioned whether that makes any sense in his upcoming review of economic activity among young people (18-24). His review of the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training is expected to recommend scrapping the apprenticeship levy, and I broadly agree.

The principle behind the levy was sound. Employers contribute, and the money funds training, creating opportunities and building the skills Britain needs, but somewhere along the way we lost sight of who needs that opportunity most.

We now have more than a million young people stuck between education and employment, while apprenticeship funding can be used for training people who already have degrees and established careers.

There is nothing wrong with employers investing in existing staff; as director of a company that employs more than 700 people, I believe upskilling is vital to a business's success. But when public policy is trying to tackle a youth........

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