Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of recent trends in the levels of welding training courses available.

The department supports learners who wish to have a career in welding through our technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available at all levels. This includes the level 2 welder apprenticeship standard and the plate welder and pipe welder apprenticeship standards at level 3.

T Levels in engineering, manufacturing, processing and control are now being taught across the country, providing students with the core knowledge and skills in fabrication and welding technologies.

Welding is predominately a level 2 occupational entry point and, at level 1 and 2, there are seventeen qualifications in welding available to young people and adults, including two new reformed level 2 technical qualifications approved for funding from 1 August 2025.