Oral Answers to Questions

John Cooper Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne) (Con)]

3. What steps she is taking to promote apprenticeships as an alternative to university education.

[John Cooper (Dumfries and Galloway) (Con)]

12. What steps she is taking to promote apprenticeships as an alternative to university education.

[Dr Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham) (Con)]

13. What steps she is taking to promote apprenticeships as an alternative to university education.

--- Later in debate ---

[Josh MacAlister]

I agree with the hon. Member about the need for high-quality careers education in schools. The Labour Government are committed to ensuring that we bring back work experience for every young person, and we will be following the standards set out by other organisations to ensure that we get good-quality careers education and support the Careers and Enterprise Company. We do not need to set up this issue as a debate or a choice between higher education and technical further education. Both need attention, and there has been under-investment and a lack of support for apprenticeships—that we can agree on.

[John Cooper]

At an awards ceremony in Scotland last month, apprentices said time and again how they were told throughout their school careers that their grades were good enough to go to university, and that they should think again about going into an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships create not just jobs but careers, so what can the Department do to help in Scotland where the Scottish Government have wrecked so much of Scottish education? Can they be prevented from destroying apprenticeships as well?

[Josh MacAlister]

Education is a devolved matter, so the one thing I can do as a Minister in this Parliament is encourage people to vote for Scottish Labour and for Anas Sarwar to be the First Minister of Scotland. The hon. Member is right to highlight the absolutely shameful record of the Scottish National party on education, not only in its approach to the curriculum, teacher training and standards, but in withdrawing from PISA—the programme for international student assessment. The lack of progress that has been made on education north of the border is shocking. This Government are taking bold steps with SMEs to ensure that we create routes to apprenticeships for 50,000 more young people.