Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the provision of apprenticeships.

As part of the government’s Plan for Jobs, apprenticeships will be more important than ever in helping businesses to recruit the right people and develop the skills they need to recover post COVID-19. Apprenticeships also present excellent opportunities to young people seeking to start and build careers.

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 aged 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. We will also ensure that there is sufficient funding to support small businesses wanting to take on an apprentice this year. In addition, we have increased the number of reservations that small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) can now make through the apprenticeship service, from 3 to 10, enabling them to recruit more apprentices.

Details can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/a-plan-for-jobs-2020.

We continue to listen to the views of businesses and are working closely with employers to help them make the most of our apprenticeship reforms and funding support offer.