Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage school leavers to apply for podiatrist apprenticeship qualifications at University.

Since its introduction in the 2019/20 academic year there has been an increase in starts on the level 7 podiatrist (integrated degree) apprenticeship standard, from 10 starts in the 2019/20 academic year to 40 in the 2021/22 academic year. Five universities offer this apprenticeship.

The department is delivering £8 million of Strategic Priorities Grant funding via the Office for Students to support providers to expand their existing degree apprenticeship offers or develop new ones. Where providers identify employer demand, including for the level 7 podiatry apprenticeship, they can use this funding to develop a new offer.

Our Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge (ASK) programme in schools works to ensure that students are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships at all levels. Between the 2016/17 and 2021/22 academic years the ASK programme has reached over 2.7 million students. To build on this we have developed an offer for young people in further education colleges to encourage progression onto apprenticeships and are working closely with UCAS to showcase apprenticeships along with other routes.

Alongside this, our Get the Jump campaign is targeting young people, aged 16-19, to ensure they are aware of all their options, including apprenticeships.