Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what skills businesses in the retail and commercial enterprise sector are required to teach to apprentices to qualify for funding under the Government's apprenticeship programme.

In England, apprenticeships must be undertaken under either an agreed Specification for Apprenticeships in England (SASE) framework or a new employer designed apprenticeship standard.

Apprenticeship Frameworks Online (AFO) contains detailed information on all of the apprenticeship frameworks currently available. Apprentices can undertake apprenticeships in Retail and Retail Management under SASE.

Employer-designed apprenticeship standards will replace apprenticeship frameworks. There are three new retail apprenticeship standards ready for delivery – Retailer, Retail Manager and Retail Team Leader. Each of these standards describes the skills, knowledge and behaviours that an apprentice needs to be competent in these occupations.