Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure the (a) cost-effectiveness and (b) availability of apprenticeships; and what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by schools with the Baker clause.

Our reforms are making apprenticeships longer and better, with more off-the job training and proper assessment at the end, helping employers to create high quality apprenticeships training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy. By 2020, funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion per year, to increase the number of high quality opportunities.

New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry according to their skill needs. There are over 400 apprenticeship standards available, across all levels and in a wide range of occupations, with more in development.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is responsible for advising the Department for Education (DfE) on the appropriate funding band for apprenticeships, to support high quality apprenticeships and provide value for money for employers and government. The funding band represents the maximum government contribution towards the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment, and employers are encouraged to negotiate a price with their provider.

Information regarding the number of schools that are compliant with the Baker Clause is not held centrally, but the DfE has carried out a survey with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers in June 2018 to find out more about the early impact of the new law. Just over three quarters (76%) of the 75 providers surveyed stated that the duty is being partially complied with in their area. Just under a fifth (19%) said it was not being complied with at all. The remaining 5% said schools in their area are fully compliant. A more recent study by the Institute for Public Policy Research, published on 9 January, found that 70% of providers say that it is difficult to access schools in their area and 31% say that the situation has improved in the last year.