Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed removal of funding for the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme on the ability to (a) promote and (b) increase apprenticeship engagement among (i) students and (ii) teachers.

Promoting apprenticeships and technical education routes remains a key part of this government’s education policy. The decision to not continue the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme was based on the following:

• Growth in awareness of apprenticeships, which is now on a par with awareness of A Levels.
• The government’s apprenticeships programme has evolved since ASK was introduced, with the emphasis moving more towards supporting successful participation and completion.
• The tight fiscal climate means we have had to make tough decisions about which programmes and activities we can afford to extend.

Schools and colleges seeking support to raise awareness of apprenticeships and technical education can access a range of online and in-person initiatives, including:

• The Skills for Careers Apprenticeships support page, which can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/training-choice/apprenticeships.
• The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory, which can be found here: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/.
• ‘Amazing Apprenticeships’ offer a wide range of free resources and support for schools and colleges.
• The CEC's network of Careers Hubs (covering 95% of schools and colleges) helps co-ordination with schools and colleges to support their careers education.
• CEC also supports enhanced Provider Access Legislation which specifies schools must provide at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education.

Around 2,000 volunteers, comprising of employers and apprentices, have formed the Apprenticeship ambassador network (AAN), a department-supported network. The AAN visit institutions sharing compelling experiences about apprenticeships. The AAN covers 70% schools and colleges in England and aims to align an ambassador to every secondary school and further education college by March 2026.