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The government has recently published a Framework for Delivery which provides employers, education and training providers and young people with information about its recently announced programme for traineeships.

The programme, which is funded by the Department for Education and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, was announced by the government in January 2013 and follows on from Doug Richard's recommendation in his review of apprenticeships that the government should introduce a separate work-based programme for young people to support entry into employment.

Traineeships are aimed at supporting young people to get 'work-ready' and develop the skills needed for apprenticeships and sustainable employment. It is anticipated that traineeships will address employers' concerns about poor skills levels amongst young people. It was initially announced that they would be introduced from August 2013 for young people aged 16-19 and young people with Learning Difficulty Assessments up to academic age 25. The government hoped to extend the programme to young people aged up to 24 in due course and in fact, Chancellor George Osborne announced an extension of traineeships to 19-24 year olds in this week's Spending Review.

The delivery of traineeships will initially be limited to employers and training providers who have achieved an Ofsted inspection grade of Outstanding or Good. There are various funding routes available to employers and providers, including through existing contracts with the Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency.

The core target group for traineeships will be young people who:

are not currently in a job and have little work experience, but who are focused on work or the prospect of it; are qualified below Level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework; and have a reasonable chance of being ready for employment or an apprenticeship within 6 months of engaging in a traineeship. The Framework anticipates that traineeships will be a flexible partnership between employers and education and training providers. They will last for a maximum of 6 months and will comprise a high quality work placement, work preparation training and functional skills qualifications in English and maths.

The work placement will involve employers and a workplace setting. The Framework provides that the work placement aspect of the traineeship will last for at least 6 weeks but no more than 5 months. All traineeships will...