Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has estimated the total funding to be provided by the Apprenticeships Levy to fund apprenticeship starts in the food, farming and agri-tech sectors; and if she will make a statement.

The Apprenticeship Levy comes into effect from April 2017; it will enable us to fund the step change needed to achieve 3 million quality apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.

Both levy and non-levy paying employers can access funding to cover the cost of an apprentice’s training and assessment. Levy paying employers will have funds available to them through the apprenticeship service and receive a 10% Government top up every month. Non-levy paying employers will contribute 10% towards the cost of training with the Government paying 90%.

The number of starts in sectors is dependent on employers recruiting apprentices that are appropriate for their business needs, and there are a number of factors which influence actual funding, such as the level of the start and the funding band, the price agreed between employer and provider and some additional payments for certain groups. Given the demand led nature of the policy, the Department has not therefore estimated the total apprenticeship funding that will be provided to fund starts in any particularly industry.

The food, farming and agri-tech industry is developing new apprenticeship standards, which will better meet the needs of the industry and provide employers with the skills they need.