Antony Jenkins has been appointed as shadow chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships, the new independent, employer-led organisation established to support the government’s plan to create 3m apprenticeship starts by 2020.

Jenkins is a former chief executive of banking giant Barclays and is the current chairman of Business in the Community, an organisation that supports businesses in acting socially responsible to create a fairer society and a more sustainable future. He is also a patron of the government’s employee engagement programme.

As shadow chair, Jenkins will be an ambassador for the Institute for Apprenticeships and will also play a key role in designing its structure and providing strategic leadership and direction to the organisation during the critical phase of its development. 

He will also work closely with the current team in preparing the organisation to start operations next year.

With Jenkins’ appointment, effective this week, the remaining board members of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be appointed through a public appointments process by the end of the year.