Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review (1) the apprenticeship system, and (2) the apprenticeship levy.

The government is committed to improving the working of the apprenticeship system and the apprenticeship levy. We are continuing to engage closely with businesses and to listen to their views about the operation of the levy and the apprenticeships programme more broadly, taking into account the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The government’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ will help to kickstart the nation’s economic recovery and apprenticeships will be more important than ever in helping businesses to recruit the right people and develop the skills they need to recover and grow, both now and in the long-term.

We recognise that employers at the moment face increased challenges with hiring new apprentices and so we will introduce a new payment of £2,000 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2021. Details can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury.