Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeships are undertaken by people in less affluent households.

Apprenticeships can transform lives. They are a great way for people of all ages and backgrounds to progress in work and life and a great way for employers to improve the skills base of their businesses.

Apprentices acquire skills much valued in the labour market, and the apprentice does not have to contribute to the costs of their learning. Apprenticeships are paid jobs with training and so, as with any other form of employment, selection decisions are made by individual employers, who choose the most appropriate candidates for their jobs.

We are encouraging a wider range of young people into apprenticeships. Traineeships are available to help 16-23 year olds become ‘work ready’. They include work preparation training, English, maths and work experience, which all help the trainee to enter the world of work, including apprenticeships. They are flexible so providers can adapt them to the needs of the trainee by including additional support such as mentoring.

We are giving employers more control of the funding for apprenticeships training in return for them investing more in apprenticeships; this includes simplifying the funding system to encourage employers to recruit more apprentices of all ages and from all backgrounds.