Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to monitor and improve the quality of training provided through apprenticeship programmes to ensure they meet industry standards.

The department is making sure that apprenticeships continue to meet employers’ needs in a fast-changing world. All standards are developed by employers to ensure their credibility and applicability, and all standards are reviewed periodically by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Employers can also request exceptional reviews if they feel a major update is required.

High-quality training is crucial and apprentices' success hinges on the commitment and collaboration of an employer, apprentice, and training provider. The department’s Apprenticeship Accountability Framework sets minimum standards for various quality performance indicators, and we actively intervene if a provider's performance falls below the expected levels. Ofsted are also inspecting apprenticeship providers, and the department is using their judgements to support and drive the delivery of high-quality apprenticeship provision. The department is providing targeted support to employers, and the Apprenticeship Service gives employers and learners the opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences which we use to improve the apprenticeship experience. Every apprentice completes a robust End-Point Assessment to give apprentices and employers the confidence that they have achieved occupational competence.

Apprentices who complete see the best outcomes from their experiences. Our focus on driving up quality is resulting in year on year increases in achievement rates and will continue to drive up standards to ensure every learner gets the greatest benefit from their apprenticeship.