Concerns that apprenticeships are no longer focused on young people are misplaced (Report, 1 December). Only 6.25% of apprenticeships currently go to workers aged over-50 – one of the few publicly funded forms of training available to older people. At a time when the pension age is rising and will require people to work to the age of 66 by the end of the decade, it is more important than ever that older people have access to the training opportunities that allow them to develop the skills needed to find and keep jobs. Just under 45% of all unemployed older people aged between 50 and 64 (153,000 people) have been out of work for more than a year and have little prospect of finding a job without training and other help.
Caroline Abrahams
Charity director, Age UK
