Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supported internships for people with high special educational needs have been made available for 16-19 year olds in Gloucestershire.

The SEN2 data publication indicates how many young people up to the age of 25 are enrolled on supported internships in Gloucestershire in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The data can found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aa3ee401-2f03-4901-4e0e-08dbdfa6a426.

The department is not able to specify how many of these placements were for 16–19-year-olds. The department does not hold data on how many supported internship placements Gloucestershire made available.

​In February 2022, the department announced that it is investing up to £18 million over the next three years to build capacity in the Supported Internships programme, aiming to double the number of Supported Internships to give more young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan the skills to secure and sustain paid employment.

In the 2023 Spring Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities without EHC plans by March 2025.