A New Era for UK Apprenticeships: What It Means for Maritime & Transport Employers

The UK apprenticeship landscape is undergoing one of its most significant shifts in years. With sweeping reforms introduced throughout 2025 and moving into 2026, the system is being reshaped to be more flexible, more employer-responsive, and more accessible to young people, especially those entering critical sectors such as maritime, logistics and transport.

For businesses operating across ports, shipping, warehousing, freight forwarding, and multimodal transport, these changes present a major opportunity to build future talent pipelines, shape skills provision, and strengthen workforce development.

Below, we explore what’s changing and how organisations can get involved.

1. A More Flexible Apprenticeship System

Across 2025–26, the UK Government has announced major reforms to simplify apprenticeship assessment, reduce administrative burdens, and create a skills system more closely aligned with employer needs. Reforms include:

Streamlined assessment and reduced complexity. A Department for Education review highlighted that assessments had become overly burdensome. New assessment principles aim to make them simpler, more proportionate and more flexible while maintaining quality.

This includes:

• Removing duplication and simplifying evidence requirements

• Allowing assessments to take place on programme where appropriate

• Enabling training providers to deliver elements of assessment, while retaining EPAO oversight

• Shorter apprenticeship durations. In targeted industries and for learners with prior experience, apprenticeship minimum durations can be reduced from 12 to 8 months. 

This is particularly beneficial for fast-paced sectors like logistics, warehousing or port operations where skills development needs to keep pace with operational demand.

2. Major Expansion in Support for Young People

The Government has committed £725 million to expand apprenticeship access, including fully funding apprenticeships for eligible under‑25s in SMEs and launching tens of thousands of new opportunities.

Key developments include:

50,000 more apprenticeships. A national investment package is enabling thousands more young people to enter apprenticeship routes over the next three years.

Foundation apprenticeships. Designed as inclusive, Level 2 entry pathways for 16–21-year-olds (and older learners facing barriers), foundation apprenticeships create accessible entry routes into priority sectors, including engineering, digital roles, and technical operations.

For maritime and transport employers, this opens new routes into:

• Port operations

• Engineering maintenance

• Vessel traffic services

• Logistics coordination

• Environmental and sustainability roles

• Maritime administration and compliance positions

Regional talent pipelines. A new £140 million partnership with regional leaders will connect young people directly with local employers through apprenticeship pilots. 

This could be transformative for coastal and port-reliant regions such as Southampton, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Tilbury and the Humber.

3. The Growth and Skills Levy: A New Direction

The existing Apprenticeship Levy is being reformed into the Growth and Skills Levy, creating greater flexibility for how employers use their levy funds.

Although details continue to emerge, the direction of travel is clear:

• Employers will have more choice in training options

• Modular, flexible training will grow

Skills England, now central to system oversight, is aligning national skills needs with funding priorities, including transport, engineering and logistics.

This is good news for maritime and transport employers needing to adapt quickly to:

• Automation and digitalisation

• Port modernisation

• Decarbonisation and new fuels

• Supply chain resilience challenges

• Growth in offshore wind, marine autonomy and maritime security

4. What This Means for Maritime & Transport Employers

The maritime and transport sectors face well-known workforce challenges: ageing talent pools, shifting technology, rising regulatory expectations and growing demand for technical and digital skills.

The apprenticeship reforms directly support solutions to these challenges by enabling employers to:

Build faster, more adaptable talent pipelines. Shorter apprenticeships accelerate the time it takes to develop competent operators, technicians and coordinators.

Recruit more young people into entry-level roles. Foundation apprenticeships and fully funded under‑25 apprentices in SMEs reduce the financial risk for employers taking on new talent.

Collaborate directly with regional and national skills bodies. Skills England’s new remit ensures key sectors, like maritime logistics, are recognised in national priority planning.

Shape the skills programmes you need. More flexible levy use and upcoming modular training open opportunities for employers to co-design training aligned with real operational requirements.

5. How Businesses Can Get Involved Now

Whether your organisation is a port, logistics provider, shipping company, transport operator, or maritime services firm, there are several practical steps to take:

•   Partner with MTCP to shape sector talent pathways

MTCP is uniquely positioned to connect employers, training providers and aspiring learners across maritime and transport. By engaging now, employers can influence programme design and attract early talent.

• Offer apprenticeship placements or host foundation apprentices

Many maritime roles, from port operatives to marine engineering technicians, map well to apprenticeship pathways already available or in development.

• Use apprenticeship reforms to diversify your workforce

The simplified processes and fully funded young apprentices help remove traditional barriers to recruitment, especially for SMEs across logistics and local transport.

• Engage with regional skills pilots

If your operation is located within a mayoral region participating in the new apprenticeship pilots, you can tap into regional funding and support networks.

• Start planning how to use the Growth and Skills Levy

As details emerge through 2026, proactive employers will be well-positioned to shape flexible, fit-for-purpose training solutions at scale.

A Defining Moment for Maritime & Transport Skills

For the maritime and transport sectors, these apprenticeship reforms represent far more than administrative changes, they signal a strategic moment to build the next generation of maritime professionals, logistics specialists, vessel operators, engineers, digital technicians and sustainability leaders.

MTCP stands ready to support employers through this new era of opportunity. By embracing the changes, collaborating with training partners, and opening doors to young talent, businesses can help secure a strong, resilient and future-ready workforce for the UK’s maritime and transport industries.