Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2015 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Nicola Blackwood (Oxford West and Abingdon) (Con)]

1. What assessment he has made of recent trends in apprenticeship starts.

[Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con)]

4. What assessment he has made of recent trends in apprenticeship starts.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade (Sajid Javid)]

More than 2.4 million apprenticeship starts have been delivered in England since May 2010, but we are now going even further. We are committed to 3 million more over the course of this Parliament and we will ensure that they deliver the skills that employers and the economy need for continued growth.

[Nicola Blackwood]

We need to fill 1 million more digital jobs by 2020, not to mention finding 1 million more technicians and engineers. In that context, I am sure that the Secretary of State would agree wholeheartedly with the Science and Technology Committee’s first report, published yesterday, which states that cuts to science and innovation spending are a false economy. That spending is an investment, not a state subsidy, and it creates jobs, increases productivity and attracts inward investment. It is essential for science, technology, maths and engineering—STEM—apprentices seeking innovative British employers.

[Sajid Javid]

I commend my hon. Friend for her leadership of the Science and Technology Committee. She is absolutely right to talk about the importance of science, innovation and digital skills. She will know that I made a speech yesterday to Innovate UK’s annual conference, in which I set out new plans to boost science and innovation capabilities.