Apprenticeship in Britain - that is, vocational education based on the learner as a junior employee - once served as the transition between compulsory schooling and adulthood. It provided new entrants to the workforce not just with specific techniques, but with broader occupational competence. Yet, in contrast to other countries in Europe, Britain's apprenticeship system has been in long decline since the 1960s. Whilst successive governments have paid lip service to the notion of reversing this trend, apprenticeship continues to languish. Whilst employers demand for skills remains high, and apprenticeship remains a popular option amongst school-leavers, policy has failed to match this successfully.

 Professor Chris Winch has taught in primary, further, and higher education, and has been at King's College London since 2004. Birmingham People's History Archive are pleased to welcome him to speak on this timely issue and address its consequences for Britain's society and economy.

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