Draft Apprenticeships (Alternative English Completion Conditions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

Jonathan Gullis Excerpts

Wednesday 30th September 2020 General Committees

[Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Elliott.

I would like to say that this is a fine statutory instrument that we need to come in. In Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke, 570 young people are undertaking their apprenticeships at this moment in time, and it will be a huge relief to them to know that if, God forbid, the worst-case scenario happens and they are made redundant, having committed so much to their apprenticeship, they will now have this safety net to ensure that qualification—which, sadly, is not regularly taken up in my constituency; in terms of level 3 or level 4, west Staffordshire is well below national averages. This will cause a huge sigh of relief.

I will also mention that yesterday we saw the Government announce the change to the apprenticeship levy, which is a huge step forward with regard to apprenticeships. At the moment, small and medium-sized businesses struggle to access properly the funding and support in place for apprentices. That change would go a long way to ensure that apprenticeships become a more viable option for businesses. Sadly, the stats show that the number of apprenticeships was dropping before coronavirus, which is something that we in this House need to urgently address. Young people in what are now nicknamed blue wall seats, who I proudly represent, do not normally see university as a viable option and in some cases need the money to support their family while getting on to the career ladder. Apprenticeships are a huge opportunity for them.

I urge the Minister to think about how the apprenticeship scheme could be tied into the superb kickstart scheme that the Chancellor announced. Although I appreciate that the scheme is a short-term measure, the Government should certainly consider it as a longer-term solution and a step towards an apprenticeship. Many young people need to understand why doing an apprenticeship is beneficial.

We have had a big focus on apprenticeships at the higher end with degree apprenticeships. I urge the Minister that level 2 and level 3 apprenticeships have their place, especially in areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, where young people are sadly not leaving school with the grades that we would like to see compared with national averages and are not ending up in the destinations that we would like to see either. In Stoke, we earn £100 less per person on average than elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

This is a fine piece of legislation and I am glad it has been brought forward. I appreciate that things take time as we are in a global pandemic. We also have to make sure that all the relevant bodies are happy and that future employers are satisfied with the fact that someone who has completed only 75% of their course is actually at the right level. I thank the Minister for her work and for her sterling performance at the Education Committee yesterday. I look forward to more innovative legislation in future.

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[Jonathan Gullis]

I should like to give an example of that from Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire chamber of commerce is acting as the main focal point, working alongside Stoke-on-Trent College to ensure that people who are falling through the gap can get access to businesses, which are recruited by the LEP and Stoke-on-Trent City Council to engage with the chamber of commerce. It is also getting local Jobcentre Plus offices to ensure that anyone who has come on to their books recently or who fits the criteria is sent to engage with the college and start the process that will hopefully find them an apprenticeship. Does the Minister agree that that is the kind of thinking we need, and that it is up to areas where local governing bodies have the data to find such creative solutions?

[Gillian Keegan]

I absolutely agree. We all have to work together. These are extraordinary times and they demand extraordinary action. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for mentioning the chamber of commerce, because it is vital in delivering that service across the country.

We all hope that redundancy will be a fate faced by as few apprentices as possible, but businesses face enormous challenges and we need to be prepared to support apprentices as far as we can, while protecting the integrity of apprenticeships and the mark of quality that they now represent to employers. By supporting the regulations today we can increase the number of apprentices who can complete their apprenticeship in the event of redundancy, recognising the sustained commitment that those individuals have made to their training over months and years. That will make a huge difference to them and enable them to make a full contribution to developing the skills that our businesses and country need to recover and thrive in the future.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That the Committee has considered the draft Apprenticeships (Alternative English Completion Conditions and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020.