Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to persuade more businesses to offer apprenticeships to 16 to 18 year olds.

Apprenticeship reforms are putting employers in the lead of designing apprenticeships, making it more attractive for them to offer more in the future.

Across this parliament we have already supported over 500,000 new apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds. Building on the success of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, we are providing an additional £170 million to fund over 100,000 incentive payments of £1,500 to employers taking on a young person aged 16-24.