Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of apprenticeships in the UK shipbuilding industry.

Employers are at the heart of government’s reforms on apprenticeships, designing new high-quality apprenticeship standards that meet the needs of their industries.

There are 116 engineering and manufacturing standards available for employers in the shipbuilding industry to choose from, and a total of 487 standards available across a wide range of sectors from Business and Administration to Health and Science.

The Engineering Technician standard at Level 3 has been developed by employers, including employers in the defence industry such as BAE Systems, Babcock and the Royal Navy. This includes the following maritime defence pathways: Maritime Electrical Fitter, Maritime Mechanical Fitter, Maritime Fabricator and Maritime Pipeworker. More detail on the standard can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s website at the following link: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/engineering-technician/.

Employers in the shipbuilding industry in England can use their apprenticeship levy funds to invest in these new high-quality apprenticeship standards, unlocking the productivity benefits associated with employing apprentices.

This financial year (2019-20) funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion, double what we spent in 2010-11.

The National Apprenticeship Service is supporting employers in the shipbuilding industry to develop their apprenticeship programmes. Employers can find out more about apprenticeships at: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/.