Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many starts there have been on each foundation apprenticeship standard since their launch in August 2025; and what assessment he made of the adequacy of that performance before announcing the expansion of foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail.

In August 2025 we introduced foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, such as construction and health and social care, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

Foundation apprenticeships are designed to support those young people who want to gain a broad grounding in a sector before they commit to progress into a more specific or more advanced occupation.

As foundation apprenticeships are a new offer we understand providers and employers will need time to incorporate them into their businesses.

In addition, other apprenticeships continue to support young people to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a specific occupation.

Apprenticeship and foundation apprenticeship starts are published here: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2025/26 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. The latest published data shows that there have been 110 foundation apprenticeship starts so far this academic year (Aug 2025 - Jan 2026).

To create more opportunities for young people at the start of their careers, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail from April 2026. These sectors traditionally employ large numbers of young people and offer strong entry points into sustained employment with clear progression routes across England.

They will have employer payments of up to £2,000 employer payment to support with the additional costs of taking on and supporting a young person at the start of their career.