Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will incentivise universities to generate more higher apprenticeships.

Higher and degree level apprenticeships provide people with high quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment.

In the 2021/22 academic year, there were over 106,000 apprenticeship starts at levels 4-7. That is 7.6% higher than the previous year. Starts at levels 6 and 7 increased 10.3% in 2021/22 to over 43,000 when compared to the previous year.

Employers have developed over 310 high quality apprenticeship standards at levels 4,5,6 and 7 in industries such as engineering and manufacturing, health and science, digital and transport and logistics to help meet their industry skills needs.

The department wants to accelerate the growth of higher and degree apprenticeships across all regions and encourage higher education providers to expand their existing offers or develop new ones. The department is therefore providing an additional £40 million in funding over the next two years, on top of the £8 million investment in the 2022/23 financial year.

The department continues to promote higher and degree level apprenticeships to employers in all sectors and regions, and it is for individual employers to choose which apprenticeships they offer, and at what level, according to their needs.

The department publishes the higher and degree apprenticeship vacancy listing twice a year, with the next released planned for November, which will highlight over 350 vacancies across the country that are available for young people to apply for in 2023 and 2024. The vacancy listing is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships.

The department is working hard to ensure that young people across the country get the right information to help them decide on the best route for their future. From autumn 2023, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service will expand their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including degree apprenticeships. From 2024, students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees, meaning young people can find the right option for them, all in one place