Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to promote (a) vocational training and (b) apprenticeships in the (i) digital and (ii) manufacturing industries in (A) the North West and (B) Southport constituency.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Gen Kitchen (Labour - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many degree apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in (i) Wellingborough constituency, (ii) Northamptonshire and (iii) London in each of the last five years.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) budget and (b) outturn spending were for (i) 16-19 learning, (ii) Adult Education Budget, (iii) Adult Skills Fund, (iv) free courses for jobs, (v) skills bootcamps, (vi) Multiply, (vii) Advanced Learner Loans, (viii) Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund, (ix) Apprenticeships and (x) all other programmes to support further education and adult skills in the financial year (A) 2022-23 and (B) 2023-24.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff have left the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in each year since its creation.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the (a) suitability of and (b) need for a review of Provider Access Legislation for students with SEND to assist them with acquiring employment.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Since January 2023, schools have been required to comply with strengthened provider access legislation, offering at least six opportunities for pupils to meet providers of technical education or apprenticeships. These encounters offer insights into the courses and qualifications that different providers offer, supporting pupils to make more informed decisions about their next step.
All pupils should have the same opportunities for meaningful provider encounters. The overwhelming majority of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with high levels of needs, can access fulfilling jobs and careers with the right preparation and support. Schools should involve parents/carers, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator and other relevant staff to identify any barriers and support needed, and tailor each provider encounter appropriately.
Where future pathways are limited for learners due to the nature of their specific learning needs and/or physical ability, for example where they are highly likely to proceed into adult social care, it is recognised that it may be necessary for additional flexibility in how these encounters are delivered.
The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) supports schools, colleges and specialist institutions to meet the requirements of the provider access legislation. The CEC has produced tailored resources for provider access legislation in SEND settings, sharing good practice in developing and delivering tailored encounters within SEND provision. The resources can be found at the following link: https://resources.careersandenterprise.co.uk/resources/provider-access-legislation-pal-send-settings.
Data published by the CEC provides encouraging early evidence that specialist settings are offering more meaningful encounters for their pupils. For example, in the 2022/23 academic year, 69% of schools reported that most young people had been provided with meaningful encounters with Independent Training Providers (up 9% percentage points in 2021/22). This was higher in special schools and alternative provision (90%), an increase of 22% percentage points from the previous year.
2023/24 is the first full academic year that the strengthened legislation has been in place. The department will continue to monitor and review the support in place, the level of compliance, and the impact on young people.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total value of the Department for Education’s apprenticeships budget in each financial year since 2017–18.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s apprenticeships budget is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in apprenticeship levy and non-levy paying employers to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers.
The table below provides the total value of the department’s apprenticeship budget for England for each financial year since 2017/18.
Financial Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
DfE Apprenticeships Budget (£ million) | 2,010 | 2,231 | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 | 2,554 | 2,585 | 2,729 |
The budget figure for the 2024/25 financial year reflects the Spending Review 2021 settlement, as well as additional funding that has recently been announced to support apprenticeships, including the growth pilot announced at the Autumn Statement, and the additional funding the Prime Minister announced in March to boost apprenticeships for young people in smaller business and meet overall increased demand for apprenticeships.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of apprentice levy-paying employers have transferred the maximum 25 per cent of their levy contributions to other employers in each financial year since 2017–18.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Levy paying employers have been able to transfer a proportion of their annual funds to other employers since April 2018, when the maximum transfer allowance was 10%. This was increased to 25% in April 2019 and from 22 April 2024, the department has doubled the levy transfer allowance to 50%.
The table below shows the percentage of levy-paying employers who spent all of their transfer allowance in each financial year from 2018/19 to 2023/24.
Financial year in which funds were transferred | Percentage of total levy-paying employers who used all their transfer allowance |
2018/19 | 0.0% |
2019/20 | 0.4% |
2020/21 | 1.0% |
2021/22 | 1.6% |
2022/23 | 2.0% |
2023/24 | 2.0% |
Transfers provide levy paying employers with more flexibility about how they spend the funds available to them, including supporting other businesses such as smaller employers, flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities to help meet local and sector-specific needs. The department has improved the transfer system, introducing a pledge and match service on GOV.UK, to make it easier to find other employers who wish to take on apprentices with transferred funds. Since the service was introduced in September 2021, over 500 employers have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes, as of 9 February 2024.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money (1) was raised by the apprenticeships levy, and (2) was passed onto the devolved nations from levy receipts, in each financial year since 2017–18.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Monthly receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy is published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Tax and NIC Receipts publication which can be found online[1] at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk
While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. From FY2017-18 to FY2019-20, the devolved administrations received a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s apprenticeship Levy forecast. Beyond 2019-20, the devolved administrations received funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending. The Block Grant Transparency publication which is available on GOV.UK sets out all Barnett consequentials generated at both departmental and programme level. It is for the devolved administrations to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit, including investing in their skills programmes.
[1] HM Revenue & Customs (2024), HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether children in low-income families are permitted to use funding from the apprenticeship levy to stay on at secondary school.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Apprenticeships are jobs with training that are open to anyone aged 16 and over. The apprenticeship levy was introduced to support employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. The department’s annual budget for apprenticeships in England has increased to over £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. This budget is ringfenced for spend on apprenticeships training and assessment only to meet employer demand for high-quality apprenticeships and cannot be used for other purposes.
To ensure that every child, regardless of their background, can excel at school and achieve their full potential, the department has targeted a greater proportion of the schools national funding formula towards deprived pupils than ever before. In total, 10.2%, over £4.4 billion, of the formula will be allocated according to deprivation factors in the 2024/25 financial year and 17.8%, or £7.8 billion, will be allocated for additional needs overall. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps and level up educational opportunities.
The pupil premium grant, introduced in 2011, also offers direct funding to schools to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged 5 to 16 year olds in state-funded schools in England. The department increased the premium pupil funding to over £2.9 billion this financial year to ensure the most disadvantaged pupils receive the support they need to succeed at school.
The department is providing funding to ensure that every 16 to 18 year old has a place in further education or training if they want one. The department invested over £7 billion on 16 to 19 programme funding during the 2023/24 academic year, which included over £590 million to support students who are economically deprived and to account for low prior attainment in English and mathematics. Over £35 million has also been allocated in the 2023/24 academic year to provide free meals for 16 to 19 year olds in further education. Additionally, the department allocated over £159 million of bursary funding to institutions in the 2023/24 academic year to help disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds with costs such as travel, books, equipment and trips, which is nearly 12% higher than published allocations for the 2022/23 academic year.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase digital learning opportunities across (a) schools and (b) colleges.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have the world class computing and digital knowledge and skills that they need for the future is a key priority of this government.
To help meet the demand for people with computing and digital qualifications and competencies, the department introduced computing as a statutory English National Curriculum subject in 2014, from Key Stages 1 to 4 inclusive. Through computing, pupils become digitally literate so that they are able to use, express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
The computer science GCSE and A level were also introduced in 2013, through which students are taught to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science. In addition, there are high quality vocational and technical digital qualifications available that are counted in the Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 performance tables, which provide alternative pathways towards digital careers. Information on the Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 performance tables can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-4-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-qualifications-discount-codes-and-point-scores, respectively.
The department has invested over £100 million in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to improve the teaching of computing and drive up participation in computer science at GCSE and A level. The NCCE provides high quality continuing professional development and resources to teachers of all Key Stages and engages with schools and colleges across England to improve their computing provision. This includes facilitating industry-led events for pupils on careers in computing and digital.
The department is also investing to fix the basics by improvinge broadband access and connectivity and sett standards for technology infrastructure to help create an environment where all schools and trusts can use technology effectively. The department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and commercial providers to accelerate gigabit capable broadband rollout to schools and investing up to £200 million to upgrade schools that fall below Wi-Fi connectivity standards in Education Investment Areas.
The government recognises that digital skills are important for adults of all ages, and the department is committed to improving their level of digital skills to support active participation in society.
From August 2020, the department introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications free of charge. The new entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths and puts essential digital skills on an equal footing in the adult education system, as the third essential skill adults need for work, life and further learning.
The department introduced new Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and Level 1 from August 2020, which are funded under the digital entitlement. EDSQs are based on the national standards for essential digital skills and are designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills byreflecting different learning needs, motivations and starting points.
To further enhance the essential digital skills offer for adults, from August 2023 the department introduced new digital Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs), which replaced FSQs in Information and Communication Technology. Digital FSQs have standardised content and assessment and provide a benchmark of digital skills for employers. These are based on subject content for digital FSQs that the department published in October 2021.
In addition to formal qualifications, the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the Adult Education Budget. Many Local Authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.
Of course, people may look to progress beyond essential digital skills, through a desire to retrain or upskill. Through the department’s wider skills reforms, which is backed by an additional £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the lifetime of this Parliament, it has continued to ensure learners, whatever their age, can train, retrain and upskill towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.
The department has introduced three Digital T Levels, which include Digital Business Services, Digital Production, Design and Development, and Digital Support Services. They are the gold-standard Level 3 technical qualification that are designed with employers to meet industry standards and with a significant industry placement built in to give that all-important experience of work within the digital sector. Digital skills are increasingly important across all occupations and as a result, every T Level has the digital skills necessary for employment embedded into its curriculum.
Additionally, employers have designed over 30 high-quality digital apprenticeships to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need, including Level 3 Information Communications Technician, Level 3 IT Solutions Technician and Level 3 Digital Support Technician. The department is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to support employers in delivering high-quality apprenticeships.
Employers and learners can also make use of the department’s Skills Bootcamp offer, which provides free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview upon completion. Skills bootcamps in digital form our largest sector and are available in each English region and online with courses ranging from software development to AI and Machine Learning.
More information about digital skills and other government-funded training opportunities can be found at the following link: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life.