Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the waiting lists for Level 4 and Level 5 engineering courses at further education colleges.

The government recognises the importance of Level 4 and 5 courses for growth and opportunity across a number of key sectors, including engineering and manufacturing. The department aims to create a clear, flexible, high quality skills system that supports people of all ages, breaking down the barriers to opportunity and driving economic growth, and is establishing Skills England to help achieve this. The government will also create a set of new, specialist Technical Excellence Colleges to deliver the highly trained workforces that local economies need.

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are new and existing Level 4 and 5 qualifications that have been independently approved as providing the skills needed for a wide range of specialist roles.

23 engineering and manufacturing HTQs have been approved for teaching from September 2024, with both full and part-time provision being offered. Over 180 providers are now approved to deliver HTQs, across all regions of England, including further education (FE) colleges, Institutes of Technology (IoTs), universities and Independent Training Providers (ITPs).

Up to £115 million of funding has been made available to providers to increase the availability of higher technical education, supporting investment in industry-standard equipment and upskilling staff. This funding has been allocated to a range of providers to support delivery of HTQs and other Level 4 and 5 qualifications, including FE colleges.