Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the employment rate for graduates under the age of 25.

In September, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced plans aimed at ensuring young people gain the skills needed in the job market, with a target of two thirds of young people in higher education by age 25.

The Post-16 education and skills white paper sets out our plans to ensure higher education equips graduates with the technical skills needed in the economy, including by developing new higher technical qualification awarding powers.

It also sets out our plans to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant to align funding with future skills needs.

One of the primary objectives of the Office for Students is to ensure all students are able to progress into employment or further study. It is currently consulting on proposals to broaden the employment indicators it uses to assess higher education providers’ quality ratings, to incentivise more focus on supporting students to achieve positive employment outcomes.