Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase take-up of apprenticeships in engineering, construction and manufacturing.

We have seen a 52% increase in the number of apprenticeship starts in engineering and manufacturing technologies over the last Parliament. There were around 85,000 starts in construction, and over 320,000 starts in engineering from May 2010 to April 2015.

The new careers and enterprise company announced in December 2014, aims to become the leading umbrella body with an overview of activity on careers, inspiration, enterprise and employability. Independent from government, it will help schools build strong links with employers, working closely with the education and careers sectors to improve the quality and coverage of information and advice about apprenticeships.

The Your Life campaign, which was launched in May 2014, is leading our efforts to raise awareness of the exciting careers that maths and science subjects can lead to. The programme works alongside targeted schemes with industry groups, such as the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Physics, to increase the opportunities for all young people, and particularly women, to pursue careers that need skills in science, technology, engineering and maths.

We are committed to 3 million apprenticeship starts during this parliament. We are developing a comprehensive plan for growth. We will implement reforms that will give greater control of apprenticeships to employers to ensure that apprenticeships meet the needs of a wider range of businesses and more are attracted into the programme.

Over 1200 employers are already involved in designing new apprenticeship standards and to date we have approved over 50 new apprenticeships in construction manufacturing and engineering, with more in development.