Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by the East of England APPG and EELGA entitled Levelling Up in the East of England - the Region’s Progress towards the Government’s Twelve Levelling Up Missions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations in that report in respect of overall quality of training, access to training and a better alignment of training with employer need.

The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament to ensure people can get onto the ladder of opportunity and access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up.

Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships.

Through our National Careers Service digital campaigns, such as Get the Jump, we are bringing information about education and training courses into one place. Users can also search where to take courses.

Additionally, the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme continues to raise awareness of apprenticeships, traineeships, and T Levels in schools and colleges.

Employers have been central to the design and delivery of our skills policies such as through apprenticeships, T levels, and Institutes of Technology. The department set out in the Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth White Paper that we want to build on these successes, giving employers a key role in our skills system. By 2030, almost all technical courses will be on employer-led standards, ensuring that the education and training people receive are directly linked to the skills needed for jobs.

Employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are forging stronger, more dynamic and direct working arrangements between employers, skills providers, and local leaders. By embedding greater employer engagement in local skills systems, LSIPs will bring the demand and supply sides closer together. This will enable a coherent ‘whole system’ approach to skills planning and help people develop the skills they need to get good jobs and increase their prospects.