Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the Department for Education complies with procurement guidelines by removing references to retention deductions from all future building work procurement contracts.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department takes into account all legislation and government guidance in its construction procurements, including procurement policy notes and the Construction Playbook. Its approach to contractual payment mechanisms balances the efficient operation of its construction contracts and management of public money against the expectations of the construction sector. The use of retentions in construction contracts is subject to ongoing consultation across government, and the industry and the department are keen to be part of this debate.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 20 December 2018 (HL12385), what proportion of the £2.5 billion available for apprenticeships in England in 2019–20 will be invested in the construction, planning and built environment sector.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
We cannot predict the proportion of future apprenticeships investment in a specific sector because spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led. Therefore, employers choose the type, level and quantity of apprenticeships they offer as well as the level of these apprenticeships.
Individual employers have control over where apprenticeship funds are spent to meet their current and future skills needs. Employers who pay the levy can transfer up to 10% of their annual funds to other employers and this proportion will increase to 25% from April 2019.
This is one way in which we are supporting local skills needs and helping sectors, such as the construction, planning and built environment sector, to build sustainable capability for the future.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 20 December 2018 (HL12347), what measures they plan to raise the intake of apprentices to the construction, planning and built environment sector from 22,660 in 2017–18 to the level required to meet the level of annual retirement from that sector's workforce.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
To stimulate apprenticeship growth across all sectors, we are first and foremost making sure that apprenticeships are a quality product recognised by individuals and employers, setting individuals on a path to a good career and providing employers with the home-grown skills they need to grow their businesses and increase productivity.
These standards are being developed by employer groups, including groups in the construction, planning and built environment sector. Apprenticeships now available in the sector include Construction Site Engineering Technician, Installation Electrician and Civil Engineering Site Management.
The Construction Sector Deal commits the industry to the provision of 25,000 apprenticeship starts by 2025. We are supporting industry to take advantage of our reforms by making sure that there are relevant apprenticeship standards in place. For example, the Construction Sector Deal target is 50, and 66 new high quality standards are available.
The department has committed £24 million to deliver the Construction Skills Fund, which is supporting and incentivising innovative and employer-led approaches to construction training by funding on-site training hubs across England. The fund is being administered by the Construction Industry Training Board on behalf of the department.
Although apprenticeships are a major recruitment method for this sector, we are also supporting the delivery of classroom-based learning which is sector-specific. Construction is one of the first T level routes to launch, with the first pathway available from 2020. Through the Construction Sector Deal, the industry committed to making sure that 1000 work placements for T level students would be available at launch, and the industry sees the work experience element of the T level as crucial in making sure that students are ‘site-ready’ on completion of their qualification.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 20 December 2018 (HL12346), how many of the 380 apprenticeship standards now approved relate to the construction, planning and built environment sector; and how many apprenticeship standards within that sector have been submitted but are still awaiting approval.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) is the independent body with responsibility for the development and approval of apprenticeship standards.
At the time of writing, the IfA’s website shows that, of the 390 apprenticeship standards now approved for delivery, 66 are within the construction sector. A further 32 standards are in development and there are 6 proposals within that sector that have been submitted but are still awaiting approval.
The IfA’s website can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.