Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the duties on local government to support students with education or training after the age of 16 in relation to the Opportunity Guarantee, announced by the Prime Minister on 30 June.

As part of raising the participation age legislation local authorities have duties to track all academic age 16 and 17 year olds, identify those not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming so and supporting them to re-engage in education or training. This includes a September guarantee where local authorities need to ensure that all year 11 students and year 12 students on a one year course have a suitable offer of education or training for the following September. We are working closely with local authorities to support these duties and monitor September guarantee offers.

Additionally, following my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s announcement on 30 June, on 8 July my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work in all communities across the country. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in employment support schemes, which will substantially expand existing provision. This includes:

• £111 million to triple the number of traineeships;
• £17 million to triple the number of sector-based work academy placements;
• Paying businesses to take on new apprentices – an extra £2000 for each apprentice under 25 and £1,500 for apprentices over 25;
• £32 million to help 269,000 more people receive advice from the National Careers Service;
• £101 million for school/college leavers to study high value courses when there are not employment opportunities available to them.