Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to convene a network of excellence for shipbuilding training providers.

The department has convened the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce to explore the industry’s skills needs and make recommendations for how to resolve shortages. The Taskforce brings together a wealth of expertise. It is Chaired by the Hon. Captain Dr Paul Little, and its membership includes individuals from defence, leisure, commercial and workboat building, as well as trade unions, academics and educators.

The Taskforce has been working at pace since it first met in July 2022 and is currently drafting an independent report that will set out its recommendations. It plans to publish this in autumn. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Defence, both met with the Taskforce in February to launch National Apprenticeships Week and discuss progress in identifying these recommendations. I also attended the Shipbuilding Inter-Ministerial Group meeting in April where I shared progress that had been made by the Taskforce to prioritise the most impactful recommendations.

One of the Taskforce’s recommendations is expected to call on the department to establish a network of excellence for shipbuilding training providers. The Taskforce has identified examples of best practice in shipbuilding skills provision, such as South Devon College and City of Glasgow College. It is considering how to encourage more providers to reach this standard.

To ensure its proposals are supported by wider industry, the Taskforce is currently testing its recommendations with stakeholders, including employers, industry bodies, and representatives of sectors with similar skills requirements.

The Taskforce’s report will be independent, and the department will collaborate across Whitehall and the devolved governments to consider its recommendations and develop a response. We recognise the expertise and world-leading practice that exists in institutions across the UK and are delighted that the Taskforce has highlighted this.