Reform UK unveils wage credits to spur apprenticeships

Reform UK proposals include an 'apprenticeship wage credit' giving SMEs a 30% wage rebate for 16–18-year-old apprentices and a £2,000 retention bonus, aiming for 600,000 apprenticeship starts annually by 2034. The plan would be funded by banning foreign students from taxpayer loans and cutting what Reform calls 'Mickey Mouse degrees,' with an estimated cost of £1.48bn–£2bn over five years. Braverman pitched this as a vocational renaissance, while other parties voiced mixed reactions.