Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to increase the number of technical apprenticeships.

It is not possible to distinguish between (a) technical or (b) non-technical apprenticeships as there is no definition of technical apprenticeship in the Individualised Learner Return. We can provide a breakdown of apprenticeship starts by apprenticeship sector area and age, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/650226/201617_Oct_Apps_Level_SSA_And_Framework_Data_Tool_FINAL.xlsx.

Overall, there have been over 1.1 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and the Government is committed to achieving three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.

We have introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to encourage sustained employer-investment in high quality apprenticeships of all kinds. This will provide £2.45 billion for apprenticeships in England by 2020. Our apprenticeship reforms are the largest changes to apprenticeships the Government has ever made. These changes are investing in the future of millions of people of all ages and from all backgrounds.

Employers are currently designing new apprenticeships across a broad range of sectors. The Government has also established the employer-led Institute for Apprenticeships to support this and will extend the remit of the Institute to cover college-based technical education from 2018. This will ensure there is a clear route into skilled and technical occupations across a range of sectors, through both apprenticeships and T Levels.