will v“ r—m will get underway. i ashes test will get underway. i can't wait. england start the day on 196-4 at the can't wait. england start the day on 196—4 at the gabba. the football in germany, half time between cologne and arsenal in the europa league and it remains goalless. arsenal are already through to the last 32. that's all from sportsday. from the team and i, thanks for watching. we'll see you soon. there's been a big fall in the number of workers starting apprenticeships. 59% fewer people started apprenticeships compared with the same time last year. the drop off follows the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, meaning firms of 50 or more people must fund 10% of the training costs and release staff for one day a week of off—site training. the aim is to fund 3 million new apprenticeships through racing £2.5 billion, but it has now been blamed for the plunge

in new apprentices. we are joined has now been blamed for the plunge in new apprentices. we arejoined by the ceo of the association of employment and learning providers. thank you for coming in. it's a huge, disappointing drop, 59%. how much of it is down to this levy to do with off—site training and bigger firms having to put money away to fund apprenticeships? it's a massive drop and very disappointing. we had been warning it would happen. it's a great policy, the apprenticeship policy is a great policy and we are seeing a credible new degree apprenticeships and real engagement with larger companies. but some of the elements you describe are causing immense problems which is why the numbers are falling. 75% of apprenticeships currently delivered by independent training providers and their members. they report that this off thejob and their members. they report that this off the job training is causing immense problems. there is no flexibility on how it might be delivered and employees are saying that they don't want it. charging employers io%, which doesn't sound a

lot, but for some employers who are really struggling at the moment who put a lot of effort into apprenticeships, saying they are not putting all the effort in and paying io% putting all the effort in and paying 10% as well. putting all the effort in and paying 1096 as well. what would change from the employers' point of view, what would be better? we have said in terms of thejob, would be better? we have said in terms of the job, there are many exa m ples terms of the job, there are many examples where on the job is actually better. like fill it in a fish. you could fill it a fish in a classroom. do one fish and be shown how to do it. or you could be in a restau ra nt how to do it. or you could be in a restaurant who with a chef who shows you how to do it and gives you a bucket of 30 to do by that evening. on—the—job training is definitely better there. we are saying to have flexibility there. for the next 12 months, let's leave the 10% charge out of it, make it free for between 16 out of it, make it free for between i6 and 24—year—olds, we say, the key beneficiaries of apprenticeships. boost the numbers for 12 months and see where we are in 12 months' time the. how much of the drop might be

because of the fact some apprentices say the quality of training they get isn't good enough, they don't get the right amount of skills and the minimum amount is only £3 50 per hour or so. i was talking to a big employer who was having third—year apprentices earning £37,000 without any debt. that can't be the standard. it isn't, but often at all levels the employee will play much closer to full salary than the minimum. veryfew closer to full salary than the minimum. very few are paying the minimum. very few are paying the minimum. there are very few cases of poor quality. over 80% of apprenticeship providers are rated good to outstanding, as rated by ofsted. employees are 90% satisfaction with their apprenticeship provision. there is a lot of good quality out there. where there is poor quality things done

it. it's not the quality, it's how it's being implemented. so the policy is great and employers and organisations like yours know what needs to change. what are the government saying? they say they saw the drop in. they haven't ever mentioned it to me so there seems to bea mentioned it to me so there seems to be a bit of hindsight. they will never reach their 3 million number of starts target for 2020, which is in their manifesto, if it carries on as it is. those two things we have talked about, flexibility of the job and removing 10% for a while and helping to incentivise the market a bit more. also the procurement process that has gone on for suppliers has been a real mess as well. it was meant to come out earlier this week. it still isn't out. providers don't know injanuary whether they will have money to deliver to the non—levy companies. it's a real mess and they needed sort it out, make the changes and

get it moving again. and 96-year-old d—day veteran has been attacked with a claw hammer during a burglary at his home in somerset. he is being treated in hospital for his home in somerset. he is being treated in hospitalfor what has been described as life—threatening injuries. lee martin reports from taunton. police say a man knocked on the door yesterday afternoon and askedif the door yesterday afternoon and asked if he wanted any work doing to the house. the man attackedjim booth. with what is said to be a claw hammer. jim's son came down this morning. he said he had a fractured skull. he has been at the doctorfor a fair while. he fractured skull. he has been at the doctor for a fair while. he said something about his hand, he had a problem with his hand because he had a big bash on his hand. mr booth is one of the last surviving heroes of world war ii, serving as lieutenant commander in the navy and he played a crucial role in the d—day

landings. his latest battle is seen him take on the man police are still trying to find. a white male, around 30-35 trying to find. a white male, around 30—35 years of age. clean—shaven, darkish hair. described as athletic, stocky build. no real accent was noted. no height was given. he was wearing jeans and dark clothing. mr booth has been well known to the bbc, featuring on points west two yea rs bbc, featuring on points west two years ago when he danced with the duchess of cornwall, saying he was delighted to have stolen a dance with her. tonight forensic teams are still working at his house looking for clues about his attacker. time for a look at the weather with darren. a short time ago there were still six flood warnings across rivers gci’oss six flood warnings across rivers across northern england. thankfully across northern england. thankfully a much drier day across those areas

of north—west england affected by all the rain yesterday. we have had some sunshine around but water still on the roads and in some fields. fewer showers at the moment, not many through the night in cumbria and lancashire. more showers likely gci’oss and lancashire. more showers likely across north and west scotland and ireland. a bit of rain further south coming across southern england working its way east, could affect southern wales for a while. very much colderfurther southern wales for a while. very much colder further north. clearer skies with a touch of frost in rural areas. they could be icy roads where they will keep the shower was going through the morning. northern and western scotland, some snow on there and across the north of northern ireland. showers coming from the irish sea across in the north—west of england. across many parts of england and wales, tomorrow starting dry and bright. cloud still left overin dry and bright. cloud still left over in the south will stop mr fog patches in the south—east after the overnight rain has cleared away. one oi’ overnight rain has cleared away. one or two showers wandering through the english channel from the south—west

and they could push inland, but very few showers around for england and wales. most showers across the western half of scotland and the north of northern ireland. a fair bit of sunshine outside those showers. it will feel cold. not so much because it will be windy, light wind, but cold air so temperatures lower than today. it will stay cold this weekend. it will probably feel colder because the wind will pick up again. some frost overnight with spells of sunshine around and also wintry showers. those most likely across northern and western parts of the uk. further south and east you 90, the uk. further south and east you go, a good chance you will stay dry and quite sunny, but the wind will be freshening all the while. so it will feel quite cold. these are the temperatures again, watch or decrease in glasgow, around seven in london. —— four degrees in glasgow. later on we have a weather system trying to approach from the

atlantic. that'll have more of an impact in the north—west of the uk with cloud amounts increasing. should be largely dry. not as many showers on sunday but most of them in the east. you're watching beyond one hundred days. the ritz carlton in riyadh, now a five star holding centre for princes and rich saudis. they are part of a corruption investigation that is now into its third week. it could endanger the stability and reforms his kingdom so badly needs. the argentinian navy say satellites detected an explosion on the day the sub went missing. brussels says brexit britain will not be hosting the european capital of culture in 2023 despite the scheme being open to countries that aren't in the eu. just how influential is russia's relationship with donald trump?