Oral Answers to Questions

Tony Baldry Excerpts

Monday 29th October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

3. How many 16 to 18 year-olds started an apprenticeship in the last year for which figures are available.

[Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con)]

4. How many 16 to 18 year-olds started an apprenticeship in the last year for which figures are available.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills (Matthew Hancock)]

Early provisional data show that 126,000 apprenticeships were started by those under the age of 19 in the last academic year.

[Matthew Hancock]

I agree very strongly with my hon. Friend. The first graduation ceremony was held at Buckingham palace a fortnight ago, and the next will be at York minster on 12 November. I hope that around the country we will have ceremonies of graduation from apprenticeships to show the value that has been added to young people’s lives by this fantastic programme.

[Sir Tony Baldry]

It is fantastic that there are so many apprenticeships available, but we are not going to get youth unemployment down if youngsters do not avail themselves of the apprenticeships that are available. Does my hon. Friend find it disturbing—indeed, disquieting —that Barchester Healthcare, which is probably one of the best health care providers, has not been able to fill 500 of the 600 apprenticeships that it has offered? Indeed, it took six months to fill one single paid administrative apprenticeship in its Chelsea office.

[Matthew Hancock]

The average value of an apprenticeship to the apprentice over their lifetime is more than £100,000, and is often more than a university degree. There has been a sharp rise in apprenticeships in health and social care, but I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the specifics of the case that he raises.