Loan scheme scrapped

A much-criticised student loan scheme for older apprentices has been scrapped by the government after it failed to attract anywhere near the number of applicants hoped for.

The controversial system of making people aged 24 and above take out a loan to fund a high-level apprenticeship attracted just 404 applicants, against government predictions of 25,000.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU university and college lecturers’ union, said: “Forcing older people to take out huge loans to retrain was always going to be a barrier.

“Apprentices need proper support and the loans for the handful of people who did apply must be cancelled.”