Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of current measures to increase the number of young people taking up carpentry and joinery apprenticeships; what targets he has set for increasing participation in onsite construction trades; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of foundation apprenticeships and Homebuilding Skills Hubs on recruitment into carpentry and joinery roles; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues and industry partners to increase participation among under-represented groups in construction apprenticeships.

The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

We are transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and give employers, including in the construction sector, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need to grow and succeed.

Construction is one of the key sectors benefitting from new foundation apprenticeships with three standards, including onsite trades, launched in August 2025. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with up to £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry.

Additionally, around 5,000 more construction apprenticeship places will be made available per financial year by 2027-28 thanks to a £140 million industry investment and the creation of 32 pioneering new homebuilding skills hubs.

To support smaller employers in the construction sector recruit the next generation of talent, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) when they take on eligible 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The government will also fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible young people aged under 25 from August 2026. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.