Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on updating apprenticeship standards; and what representations she has received from business stakeholders on these standards.

Answered by Robert Halfon

This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the hon. Member for Bosworth, and a copy of this reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many high-quality apprenticeship standards were available in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Apprenticeships are a great way for people to receive high quality training and to begin or progress in a career in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector. There are 40 occupationally specific apprenticeship standards currently available in this sector, including Level 3 veterinary nurse, Level 4 countryside ranger and Level 5 horticulture and landscaping technical manager.

The first employer-designed apprenticeship standards were introduced in 2014 to replace apprenticeship frameworks, as part of reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships. Since August 2020, all new apprentices have been on apprenticeships designed against these standards. The table below shows the current number of apprenticeship standards on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE) agriculture, environmental and animal care occupational route. Three further standards are currently in development.

Employers decide which apprenticeship places they offer and when, according to the needs of their business. The table below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the agriculture, horticulture and animal care sector subject area, across both apprenticeship frameworks and standards, since the 2012/13 academic year.

To note:

• Low means fewer than five.
• There has been a small number of starts on frameworks since their withdrawal in 2020. Framework starts are recorded where an apprentice is returning to framework apprenticeship after an extensive break.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The department’s reforms have transformed apprenticeships. The department wants to further improve the quality of apprenticeships so that as many apprentices as possible benefit from these opportunities. The department has set an aim of reaching a 67% achievement rate for apprenticeship standards by the end of the 2024/25 academic year. To support this ambition, we are taking a range of actions to drive up apprenticeship quality and achievements.

The content of every apprenticeship is now designed directly by employers. Every apprentice has protected time off the job to dedicate to their training and all apprentices complete a rigorous end point assessment to confirm their competency. These changes mean that apprenticeships are now higher quality and better meet the needs of employers and individuals.

To support employers give their apprentices a high-quality experience, the department is working with them to improve their apprenticeship programmes and providing them with targeted support including through our Employer Quality Roadmap which provides guidance on what employers need to be doing at each stage of the apprenticeship.

To support providers to deliver high quality provision, the department is continuing to invest in a professional development programme for teachers and trainers of apprentices. We have strengthened our measures for holding training providers to account, using a wider range of quality indicators and user feedback. Ofsted will also be fully inspecting all apprenticeship providers by 2025.

To support apprentices to make the right choices, the department is making sure they get the best possible advice and support at every stage of their apprenticeship journey, supported by new digital support services and better careers advice. The department has also launched a new exit feedback tool for apprentices who have withdrawn, and a new feedback tool for existing apprentices to provide feedback on their training provider. We will use this feedback to inform further improvements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that apprentices are not affected by the transition to the provision by Ofqual of external quality assurance of apprenticeship end-point assessments through the regulation of end-point assessment organisations.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Simplifying and strengthening the way we conduct external quality assurance of endpoint assessment organisations (EPAOs) will help to ensure that EPAOs are consistently delivering high quality, fair and reliable endpoint assessments for apprentices and their employers.

To ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements we are working closely with Ofqual, EPAOs and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Throughout the transition process our primary aim is to minimise any disruption to apprentices or employers. We are maintaining effective quality oversight of end point assessments in the interests of all stakeholders, including apprentices and have, for example, extended the overall transition deadline to December 2022 to minimize any disruption and will work with any EPAO that fails to achieve the required standard in order to deliver a bespoke plan which priorities the quality of the apprenticeship experience.

We actively manage the register of EPAOs to ensure there is sufficient coverage of EPAOs for all apprenticeship standards and apprentices and continue to do so throughout the transition.

Found: and must report to us where incidents can or may occur that might have an impact on students and apprentices

Found: and must report to us where incidents can or may occur that might have an impact on students and apprentices