Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to increase the number of apprenticeships in the creative sector.

The government is reforming the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will provide greater flexibility to employers and learners across England. This will create routes into skilled jobs in growing industries, such as the creative industries, for people of all ages and backgrounds.

This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. The department is reducing the minimum duration of an apprenticeship to eight months, so employers have the flexibility to train people up more quickly where that makes sense, for example, because an apprentice has high a level of prior experience, or that sector does not work in 12-month training cycles. Apprentices in Film/TV production will be some of the many who are set to benefit from this approach.

Employers in the creative sector have developed 74 apprenticeships, including the level 3 Creative Industries Production Technician, to help them develop their workforce.

To support employers to access apprenticeships the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.

The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people, adults and employers through the ‘Skills for Life’ campaign.