Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47389, on apprentices, what steps her Department has taken to validate the rationale that businesses use when determining where the skills shortages in the economy lie.

The Department uses a set of published criteria to determine whether each new apprenticeship standard proposed by employers meets the requirements of a high-quality apprenticeship. This includes evidence that the standard relates to a clear and distinct occupation, is stretching enough to require at least 12 months of sustained on- and off-the-job training, and has sufficient support from employers to demonstrate that there is a need for the apprenticeship. The full set of criteria is published on pages 11 and 12 of the Guidance for Trailblazers, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-apprenticeships-in-england-guidance-for-trailblazers

Each proposal also undergoes a short public consultation to invite views on whether there is demand for the standard, and that it meets these criteria.

The Institute for Apprenticeships will take over responsibility for determining which employer proposals to develop standards should be taken forward from April 2017, and will ensure that apprenticeships are high-quality and in clear areas of need. We will shortly be consulting on the draft remit letter for the Institute.