Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) expand and (b) promote non-academic education routes to support young people into employment.

As part of the government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Working’, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they are supported to access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.

The department is investing in and promoting a wide range of non-academic routes to support young people into employment, including:

• T Levels, a high quality technical education option for students aged 16 to 19 which includes a valuable workplace industry placement to prepare young people for work.

• Higher Technical Qualifications, which are occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.

• Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer which will include new foundation apprenticeships, a work-based offer giving more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.

• Skills Bootcamps, giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills, with a job interview on completion.

• Free courses for jobs, giving eligible learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job.