Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support training and skills pathways for British manufacturing industries.

DWP works closely with industry bodies such as Make UK, the Manufacturing Technologies Association and the Institute for Grocery Distributors to support jobseekers to better understand the many career opportunities available in manufacturing.

DWP also promotes pathways into manufacturing to jobseekers, including skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) and Skills Bootcamps, alongside paid employment routes such as Apprenticeships. Between April 2021 and December 2025, DWP delivered 16,080 SWAP starts in the manufacturing sector.