Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures are in place to help increase defence supply chain apprenticeships in the North West.

As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we launched a £182 million skills package which includes initiatives that will support apprenticeships in the defence sector, including the North West. This includes the Graduate and Apprenticeship Clearing System, which will help those candidates who narrowly missed out on a apprenticeship with a defence prime to find other opportunities within the defence supply chain.

This will build on the successful apprentice ecosystem that exists in the North West, including BAE Systems’ Skills Academy at Samlesbury and the Submarine Academy for Skills and Knowledge in Barrow-in-Furness.