Kemi Badenoch has pledged to double the number of apprenticeships and cut university entrants by 100,000 as part of reforms to education funding. The Conservative leader, who completed an engineering apprenticeship before attending university, made the announcement during a visit to Virgin Media O2 in Paddington, west London.
Mrs Badenoch said her party would reform education funding by cutting some university courses and transferring the money saved to apprenticeships. The Conservatives previously stated that reducing university entrants by 100,000 would save £3.6 billion, funding an equivalent number of extra apprenticeships for 18 to 21-year-olds as part of a “new deal for young people”.
Speaking to apprentices, Mrs Badenoch emphasised the need to elevate the prestige of apprenticeships, noting that many parents discourage their children from pursuing them. She said: “If we want to double the number of apprenticeships, we need to encourage people to take them on. That’s not just students but also parents.”
The Conservative leader also promised to cut the interest rate on some student loans, restricting it to the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rather than RPI plus up to 3%. She argued that current rates mean many graduates see their debt increase rather than decrease, particularly after Chancellor Rachel Reeves froze the repayment threshold at £29,385 for three years.
