Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce a national alternative to the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.

The government is committed to ensuring every young person can develop the skills they need to succeed in work and life. We want them to have access to good quality careers advice as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, under our Plan for Change.

Nationally, schools and colleges can access a range of digital and in-person support to help them inform their students about technical routes, such as apprenticeships. This support includes T Levels Ambassador Networks, the Skills for Apprenticeships support page (part of the government’s Skills for Life – ‘It All Starts With Skills’ communications campaign), and The Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) resource directory.

Locally, through careers hubs, data and front-line insights support conversations about what is preventing take-up of technical and vocational pathways at the local level, enabling local partners to devise solutions. The government will continue to invest in high-quality careers education for young people, including boosting skills pathways such as apprenticeships and other technical education routes.

We will continue investing in wider careers infrastructure, including careers hubs, to ensure successful implementation of our careers programme.

Careers hubs, supported by CEC, will continue locally to address barriers relating to apprenticeships and technical education awareness and uptake.