Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what a) amount and b) percentage of the total of the apprenticeship levy, now the Growth and Skills Levy has been spent on under-25s for each of the past 5 years.

The table below shows the amount and percentage of the English Growth and Skills Levy (formerly apprenticeship) budget that has been spent on under-25s over the past five years.

This government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in the number of them starting apprenticeships which has fallen by 40% over the last decade.

To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people starting apprenticeships by March 2029, we are investing an additional £1 billion in the Growth and Skills Levy taking the budget to record levels. This is being used to fully fund apprenticeships for all eligible young people aged under 25 and to introduce a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that recruit young people as apprentices.

We have also introduced foundation apprenticeships specifically to provide entry level opportunities for young people in sectors such as construction, hospitality and retail, and have made £140 million available to pilot, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, new approaches to better connect young people aged 16-24 to local apprenticeship opportunities.