Trades and Apprenticeships

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 17th December 2024 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered public perceptions of trades and apprenticeship completion rates.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. One of the many toxic legacies of the previous Government is a crisis in education and training, overwhelming barriers to opportunity for many young people and the denigration and downplaying of the construction industry. Young people in my city are not accessing well-paid jobs, despite the many opportunities on our doorstep in the maritime, space, science and trade sectors. To fix that, we must improve and promote vocational pathways through increasing the number of apprenticeships available, improving apprenticeship completion rates, simplifying the apprenticeship system and increasing its flexibility.

Much of the research for this debate has come from Checkatrade, a home improvement platform based in Portsmouth North. I will therefore focus mainly on the construction sector. The trade and construction sector sits at the heart of the national mission to get Britain building, to reach net zero and to drive economic growth. From plumbers and electricians to roofers and carpenters, there will be huge opportunities for careers and job creation in building the skilled workforce we need to deliver those targets.

Research by Checkatrade has found that the UK economy faces a severe skills challenge. The UK must find 1.3 million new skilled trade people and 350,000 new apprenticeships over the next 10 years to meet the Government’s ambitious but much-needed housing and net zero targets. London will require at least 55,000 qualified construction apprenticeships, but the demand is not just in England; it is spread across the UK, with Scotland needing 26,000 new apprenticeships, Manchester 15,000 and Birmingham 13,000. With 35% of those working in the sector over the age of 50, and almost three fifths of tradies planning to retire between the ages of 61 and 65, the industry is facing a cliff edge of retirement with little or no succession planning.

The transition to net zero is also impacting jobs and apprenticeships, with 59% of jobs affected and 29% of those jobs requiring upskilling. However, apprenticeship starts have declined in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for a renewed focus. In 2022-23, there were 337,140 apprenticeship starts, compared with more than half a million in 2011-12. Challenges in the sector, such as high apprentice drop-off rates and high levels of self-employment—37%—make addressing the skills gap even more challenging and crucial.

What solutions can we explore? First, we must create more apprenticeships: despite a chronic skills gap in the UK, for every apprenticeship there are three applications, but only one successful candidate. That can be achieved by restoring financial incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises to take on apprentices under the age of 25, offering an apprenticeship incentive payment and expanding funding to create apprenticeships.

SMEs have a crucial role to play in boosting the number of apprentices, and we need to find ways to incentivise them to invest in training. We must provide them with the support they need to take on an apprentice and ensure flexibility in training that works for their businesses and for the apprentices. Making the apprenticeship funding model more transparent to help to improve businesses’ understanding of and confidence in the apprenticeship system is vital.

Secondly, we must improve completion rates. Only a third of apprenticeships are currently completed—a shockingly low statistic. We could improve that rate by increasing financial support. The apprenticeship rate of pay currently sits at £6.40 per hour, making apprenticeships financially unattractive. More targeted support should be made available to attract those with dependants and other financial responsibilities, and those wishing to change career. Financial mentoring for apprentices could also go a long way towards improving the completion rates. We should also look at expanding foundational apprenticeships and introducing a shorter apprenticeship course for those who cannot afford the minimum length of 12 months in a placement.

Lastly, we must simplify the system and increase flexibility. That could be achieved by creating more flexibility through the apprenticeship levy. For example, the functional skills requirement is cited by employers as a barrier to learning and is not always relevant to the role or individual. Those could be removed in some cases. Apprenticeships and training programme providers should be enabled to deliver three, six or even nine month-courses, which could be used to help workers to reskill and retrain in areas that are part of the green transition. We must also end geographical differences; apprenticeship levy funds can currently be spent only on apprenticeships in England.

To do all that, we must value all the pathways. The toxic legacy of the Tories in education was the undervaluing of certain subjects, including vocational courses and apprenticeships. We must value all pathways if we are to move towards a productive, highly skilled population and achieve our growth targets. Apprenticeships of all kinds create successful business owners and entrepreneurs who are well paid. Average weekly earnings in the construction sector are £761, surpassing the national average by 13%.

Furthermore, not all apprenticeships are low-paid during training. Roofing apprentices can earn more than £24,000 a year, plastering apprentices £19,000 and plumbing apprentices £18,000. Apprenticeships can be a stable and reliable route to success: with success rates remaining stable at 93% over past years and many apprentices staying on with their employer after qualifying, they offer value for money and a good career.

Despite that, however, many young people and their parents do not see a trade career as aspirational. We must highlight those benefits of vocational courses to young people, to inspire them into diverse sectors and to elevate vital sectors, including construction. That could be achieved by using the money raised by the growth and skills levy on access and outreach activities, and by the Department for Education ensuring that careers advice highlights the training provisions available, including T-levels, BTecs, skills bootcamps and more, as well as the career opportunities accessible through apprenticeships. We must ensure that work experience gives an insight into the opportunities and, although it must have safety at its heart, we must reduce the red tape for SMEs and larger companies to offer valuable work experience places.

In conclusion, to achieve our national mission of kick-starting growth and breaking down barriers to opportunities, we must look at people and skills in the round and value them. To create a highly skilled and highly paid workforce, we must provide accessible, well-funded and fairly paid vocational training. We must provide balanced education about vocational options and provide support for those on vocational pathways to help them to complete courses. That will help to diversify vocational pathways.

Apprenticeships in construction are currently almost 91% male and 92% white. Although there has been some progress in diversifying the workforce, its composition remains highly disproportionate compared with society and other sectors. As an ex-teacher, I truly believe in the saying, “If you cannot see it, you cannot do it.” Those opportunities must be visible and open to local communities, whether that is our young people or someone who wants to change career or upskill to a new one.

We must place pride, value and respect in this sector. As the proud sister of an electrician, the daughter of a plumber and the granddaughter of a painter and decorator, I know the value of tradespeople in our communities and families. They are the backbone of our everyday lives—building, fixing, and ensuring that our houses, schools, hospitals and communities are safe, functioning spaces.

[Mr Clive Betts (in the Chair)]

Probably much to his surprise, I am going to call Jim Shannon as the next speaker.

--- Later in debate ---

[Amanda Martin]

Thank you for your chairmanship during this debate, Mr Betts. I thank everyone for their valuable contributions, and I welcome their research and insight into this topic. I will touch on a few points, if I may. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for his Northern Ireland perspective and the questions he posed. However, I want to say that working in a trade is, and can be, a career for those academic kids, as well as those who would traditionally follow a vocational route. I met a wonderful young man at Springfield secondary school’s year 11 awards evening. He did very well in getting grade 9 in all his GCSEs, and had proudly taken up a carpentry apprenticeship. He was so passionate about the opportunity he had that it gave me goosebumps to have that conversation with him. We need to put lads like that at the forefront to say that this career path can be taken.

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) for his promotion of the trade sector in his constituency and in this place, and for his solutions, ideas and passion to elevate the status of trades, which I echo. The hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) presented stark statistics, showing the difficulty that young people face in accessing training and a start to their careers. I can echo that it is difficult enough to find a tradesperson, as they are always busy, but try doing that when it is someone in your family and you become a love job—you definitely to go to the bottom of the list. My mum has had a dripping tap for over a decade, and I had a light in my front room—we call it “the big light”—that did not work for 18 months. So I know that it is even worse when it is a love job from your family.

I want to make a few points in response to the shadow Minister. First, it is good that she made a commitment—obviously, she has her background with her husband—to apprenticeships and their value, because previous Government initiatives did not seem to do that. Levelling up did not work, with areas of affluence seeing more sign up to apprenticeships while deprived areas saw a drop. Also, the high-level apprenticeships did not work because there was a drop in the construction industry.

I thank the Minister for her contribution and commitment to people working in the trade sector, be that businesses, apprentices or future apprentices, through the changes that we have started, identified and hope to continue. I would like her to take back to the Department some points from today’s debate. To achieve the ambitious growth in house building targets that I am pleased the Government are pursuing, we must upskill, and vocational education must be central to that across the country. Broadening the pool of apprenticeships not only solves an important part of the skills gap facing several sectors—notably construction—but it unlocks opportunities for young people and those who want a career change.

We need more people to use the flexible apprenticeships that have been mentioned, and we need those to work for a diverse range of people. I was one of the first girls to take a GCSE in design and technology, which is why it has always been a big passion of mine. We need to look at what we are doing in our education system. We need a system that values all pathways equally, so that the young man from Springfield school is not unique in pushing himself into this career. We must celebrate and elevate this vital sector, showing young people, and those not so young wishing to change their career, the possibilities, the positivity and opportunities available. I thank everyone working in the sector who is doing that day in, day out.

Apprenticeships can lead to successful businesses, higher wages and skills to be proud of, and I would like to see our education system and society placing vocational training at the heart of its ambition. As I have said, and continue to say, if someone cannot see it, they cannot do it. I am pleased that the Government recognise that and are beginning to unlock and make improvements immediately.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House has considered public perceptions of trades and apprenticeship completion rates.

Oral Answers to Questions

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Monday 9th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

I take the concerns of early years providers very seriously indeed, and we will set out in due course the funding rates and the approach that we are taking. The hon. Gentleman and the Conservative party are very keen to complain about and criticise the measures that we set out in the Budget, yet the Leader of the Opposition herself said that she would refuse to reverse them. They want all the benefits—the teachers, the breakfast clubs and rising standards—but they are not prepared to take the tough decisions that are necessary. As a former Treasury Minister, the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Laura Trott), should know better, because she saw the scale of the fiscal inheritance that this Government inherited from her party.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking to improve teacher recruitment and retention in Portsmouth North constituency.

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

13. What steps she is taking to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

As the first step towards our opportunity mission, we have begun the critical work of recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers. We have fully funded a 5.5% pay award, begun Ofsted reform, and taken steps to make teachers’ work more flexible and ensure that workloads are more manageable. I am determined to reset the relationship between Government and the workforce to drive high and rising standards for all our children.

[Amanda Martin]

At a recent local public meeting in Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, parents raised concerns about school provision and the learning environment. As a local authority, we sit in the bottom three in the league tables. What steps is the Secretary of State taking not only to improve recruitment and retention in specialist subjects, but to ensure that there are key staff in specialist areas, where different learning environments are needed in our classrooms?

[Bridget Phillipson]

My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the challenges that we face in particular parts of the country, and there are no greater champions of Portsmouth than her and the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan). We are taking steps to ensure that teaching is the go-to profession for our best graduates, as well as ensuring that we keep experienced, well-qualified professionals in teaching. On specialist support, we have set out measures around SEND reform and additional investment to address the challenges that my hon. Friend identifies.

Educational Opportunities

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 13th November 2024 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

Thank you, Mr Pritchard, for your chairmanship. One of the many legacies of the previous Government is a crisis in education and overwhelming barriers to opportunity for young people. Those barriers do not diminish with age, as gaining new skills is difficult in a country where employer investment in training and development has fallen by a third

The UK economy is facing a severe skills shortage. Over the next decade, we will need 350,000 construction apprenticeships, 1.3 million skilled tradespeople and 130 naval nuclear roles. However, apprenticeships have started to decline sharply in recent years, highlighting the need for a focus on them. First, we want to create more opportunities for apprenticeships. Despite a chronic skills gap, for every apprenticeship, there are three applications. We need to restore financial incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises to take on apprenticeships, make the apprenticeship funding model more transparent, and get into our communities and showcase to children, young people and parents the opportunities that are out there. We need to increase financial support for the apprenticeship rate; it is set at £6.40 at the moment and that is just not enough to survive on. We need to expand foundational apprenticeships and introduce shorter apprenticeships for those who cannot afford the 12 months, and we have to simplify the system and increase the flexibility.

Secondly, it is vital that we value all pathways. The toxic legacy of the Tories in education and the undervaluing of certain subjects—from vocational courses to the arts and social sciences—have meant a loss in those areas. Inspiring young people into diverse sectors is vital, and many young people and their parents do not see trade careers as an option. We must boost careers advice and awareness of apprenticeships. We must use the growth and skills levy, with which the spending of levy money on accessing outreach should be permitted. Careers advice must also highlight the range of training provisions.

Finally, we must bring local people into those opportunities. In my constituency, 8.8% of people are on minimum wage. We have good-quality jobs in industry and technology, as well as naval and maritime opportunities, but they are not being accessed by local people. I believe that if we cannot see it, we cannot do it. We must open up those opportunities to local people, whether they are children or people who want to change career, with outreach into their local communities. In short, we need to overhaul the system and provide equalised, valued places, and we must ensure that local people have access to them.

Kinship Carers

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 13th November 2024 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Alistair Strathern]

I will give way to both my hon. Friends, then I will have to make some progress.

[Alistair Strathern]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend, who, with typically great foresight, has alluded to one of the points I hope to touch on later in my speech.

[Amanda Martin]

Does my hon. Friend agree that we must thank all kinship carers, in particular the 600 in my city, and that we must recognise that when children cannot be with their biological parents, it is often as a result of tragedy and trauma, yet kinship carers do not get the opportunity as often as adoptive parents and foster carers for training and preparation? That needs to be highlighted.

[Alistair Strathern]

I absolutely echo those sentiments. It cannot be right that young people who have gone through exactly the same level of trauma or difficulties early in their life can get very different levels of support depending on the statutory context in which they are looked after. We must consider that as part of the wider reforms to social care.

It would be fair to say that there is a consensus in the Chamber today that although there are exciting announcements coming from the Government on kinship care, there is a real desire to ensure that we do justice to kinship carers in thinking about how we can go further. I am really glad that in the Budget, the Government clearly set out the need to think about children’s social care reform more widely. It has been kicked down the road for too long. As the independent review of children’s social care rightly laid out, we are presiding over a system that is not delivering good outcomes for young people and their wider family network, at great cost to the taxpayer. That cannot be allowed to continue.

It is important to me and, I can see, to everyone in the Chamber today that kinship carers are a big part of how we put that right. We know that outcomes with kinship carers are better. We know that for every thousand people we place in kinship care, the taxpayer saves £40 million, and that that cohort, being better supported, will go on to earn up to £20 million more than if they had been placed in private social care. That is simple maths—a cold, hard, brutal underlining of the scale of the opportunity we are missing if we do not do right by kinship carers.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Thursday 24th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Catherine McKinnell]

On the hon. Lady’s final question, I can assure her that we are determined to prioritise mainstream inclusion, and to ensure that schools are supported. We will have the framework in place to encourage, incentivise and support schools to do what we know will create the best outcomes for the vast majority of children in this country: inclusion in a mainstream system where they can thrive.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

Given today’s report, and the shocking and devastating impact that the reality has on children, young people and their families, what message does the Minister have for the children and young people with SEND and their families in Portsmouth North?

[Catherine McKinnell]

We recognise how challenging this situation is for families who are not getting the support they need for special education needs or disabilities. We know that the system is broken—the National Audit Office report lays it out bare. We are determined to fix this; that is the message that I want to send.

SEND Provision

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2024 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I thank the hon. Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon) for securing this vital debate. As a former teacher, I have witnessed everything heard in today’s debate, and I will not need to repeat it. I will make a few points in the time that I have. In my city, like others, we have had a 30% increase in our EHCPs. Somebody mentioned extending the 11 years of provision; at 16, those kids just drop off. What happens to them, and how do we support them?

The EHCP increase has led to a constituent’s child waiting 40 weeks for their EHCP to be turned around, which has left them with no secondary school place in the first week of term. We should be allowing these children to select their secondary school places a year earlier to give them time to transition, meet the staff, and grow their awareness of and engagement with the school community. As I was a teacher before coming into this role, I always look at solutions; that is one of them.

Another solution involves the Government using the resources raised from ending the tax break for private schools to fund evidence-based early speech and language support in our primary schools. We must ensure that Ofsted’s new report card has inclusion as part of the report, so that we can see what our schools are doing. We must ensure that teacher training entitlements and annual CPD—continuing professional development—for all staff in education include SEND. Mental health support should be increased. If we are really going to look at EHCPs, pupils’ records should be kept properly so that they follow them when they move on to their next phase of life, whether that is education or the workplace.

Finally, I want to highlight Trafalgar school in my constituency, which is a fully restorative practice school. We need to look at using innovative projects such as that around the country to let children have an inclusive education that is also inclusive for them personally.