Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeship degrees are provided in Coventry.

Employers have designed over 155 high-quality degree level apprenticeship standards to support them in developing the skilled workforces they need. There were over 43,000 starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year, which is an increase of 10.3% on the previous year. Of those, 240 apprenticeship starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year were by learners living in the Coventry local authority area. The department is working to expand these opportunities further, so that they are accessible to more people across England, including in Coventry.

The department has made £8 million available in the 2022/23 financial year to higher education (HE) institutions through the Strategic Priorities Grant, to enable them to grow degree level apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships. As part of this, Coventry University has been awarded over £200,000 this year to develop degree apprenticeship provision, and a further £62,000 for Level 4 and 5 provision.

All university Vice-Chancellors have been contacted with details on how the HE sector can drive forward the government’s ambitious skills agenda through the expansion of degree level apprenticeships.

The department has worked with employers across the country to help them showcase higher and degree level apprenticeship vacancies. During National Apprenticeship Week, we published a listing featuring hundreds of vacancies that are available for people to apply for now, including in the West Midlands. This listing is available at: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2022/11/Higher-Degree-Listing-FEB-2023.pdf.

In addition, the department continues to work on a programme of ‘simplification’, exploring ways we can remove unnecessary bureaucracy, complexity, and barriers to engagement for apprentices, employers, and providers. We recognise that universities are already subject to significant regulation, and are working with the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and HE institutions to identify and remove barriers to universities offering more degree apprenticeship programmes.