Government apprenticeship app flops

The government’s flagship Your Apprenticeship app has faced technical issues and a lack of functionality as a probe using freedom of information laws showed only 7 per cent of apprentices had signed up. 

As reported by FE Week, it has been criticised by MPs and industry bodies and apprentices are said to have been left stranded by bugs in a £1.2 million Department for Education app.

The app was created with Fujitsu, whose Horizon system played a key role in the Post Office scandal, and students from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson unveiled the app in February in an attempt to assist learners in tracking their progress, accessing key documents, and preparing for end-point assessments, however, users have encountered problems, including login failures and unresponsive interfaces.

It is understood the app cost over £50 per user, with only 23,943 “active users”, in addition to annual running costs of £55,000.

Active users are those who have successfully signed up to the app, not necessarily those regularly using it.

Read the full story on FE Week here