Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships for people aged 16 to 19 years old.
Answered by Nick Boles
Apprenticeships are jobs which provide quality training; their availability is dependent upon employers offering opportunities. Our goal is for young people to see apprenticeships as a high quality and prestigious path to successful careers, and for these opportunities to be available across all sectors of the economy, in all parts of the country and at all levels.
There were 2.4 million apprenticeships starts delivered in the last Parliament, 26 percent of which were under 19. Our 2020 Vision sets out how we will reach 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. This includes continuing employer-led reforms, making it more attractive for businesses to offer more apprenticeships.
We will continue to work with employers to encourage them to take on younger apprentices. Government fully funds framework apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds and will continue to do so. Other employer incentives include the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which offers payments of £1,500 per apprentice to employers taking on a young person aged 16-24. We are providing £85 million to extend AGE to the end of the 2016/17 academic year. The apprenticeship levy will put apprenticeship funding in the hands of employers and will encourage them to invest in their apprentices and take on more.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, why school and academy sixth forms have not been included in recommendations arising out of reviews of post-16 education and training; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Boles
Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure that there are high quality, financially resilient colleges across the country. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review, if they wish to do so, and if they have the agreement of the review’s local steering group.
Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities will sit on local area review steering groups. These groups will identify issues with school sixth form provision, including provision by academy sixth forms, free school sixth forms, and University Technical Colleges, and feed these issues into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.
The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is also potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication, Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions, of 20 July 2015, how much her Department expects to save as a result of implementing the proposals set out therin.
Answered by Nick Boles
Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure that there are high quality, financially resilient colleges across the country. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review, if they wish to do so, and if they have the agreement of the review’s local steering group.
Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities will sit on local area review steering groups. These groups will identify issues with school sixth form provision, including provision by academy sixth forms, free school sixth forms, and University Technical Colleges, and feed these issues into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.
The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is also potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.