Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department is making on meeting the 2.3 per cent public sector apprenticeship target; and when his Department will meet that target.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is proud to be one of the largest deliverers of apprenticeships in the UK, with over 20,000 personnel engaged on a nationally recognised apprenticeship programme at any one time and over 90 per cent of our non-commissioned military recruits offered an apprenticeship relating to their trade. Public sector bodies with 250 or more staff have a target to employ an average of at least 2.3 per cent of their staff as new apprentice starts over the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2021. The Armed Forces are exceeding this target with an average of 8.3 per cent of employees starting an apprenticeship in 2017-2019.
The MOD's Civil Service is contributing towards the overall Civil Service public sector target. As of 31 March 2020, the Civil Service had achieved a total of 2.1 per cent of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3 per cent by March 2021. This has increased from 1.6 per cent the year before. The MOD's Civil Service has achieved 1.5 per cent of the total staff employed within the Department as apprentices. Given this target is a percentage of the total workforce, the percentage changes in line with workforce fluctuations over time, making it challenging to predict when a Department will meet it. The data for 2018-19 can be found on the gov.uk website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-apprenticeship-data-2018-to-2019.
The data for 2019-20 will be released on the gov.uk website by the end of September 2020.
Departments are committed to increasing the number of apprentices across the Civil Service and continue to work towards the 2.3 per cent target. The impact of the current pandemic has slowed recruitment due to priority work and logistics. With the current strategy and targets coming to an end in April 2021, the Civil Service is already focusing on how to continue to support the apprenticeship agenda and drive forward apprenticeship recruitment, pulling on the Plan for Jobs initiative and considering the current economic situation.
However, as a Department, between April 2015 and 31 March 2020, we have successfully committed to enrolling 50,000 apprenticeships, exceeding our target one year ahead of schedule.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship levy funds logistics businesses have drawn down to pay for apprenticeships; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
The information requested is not held centrally.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to register an industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account and is therefore unable to supply the information requested on the proportion of levy funds drawn down by logistics businesses.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many logistics apprenticeships have been taken up since the apprenticeship levy was introduced.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department regularly publishes figures for apprenticeship starts broken down by sector subject area and by framework or standard. The latest figures, published in March 2019, can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788809/201819_March_MonthlyAppStartsFwk_FINAL.xlsx.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid by logistics businesses into the apprenticeship levy fund since the introduction of that levy.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The ‘Transportation and storage’ sector has paid a total of £280m into the Apprenticeship Levy between April 2017 and March 2019.
HMRC collects data on a Pay As You Earn (PAYE) scheme basis, and employers may have multiple PAYE schemes. HMRC is currently exploring the feasibility of accurately aggregating PAYE schemes to employer level.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many logistics businesses pay into the apprenticeship levy; and what proportion of all companies does that figure represent.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The ‘Transportation and storage’ sector has paid a total of £280m into the Apprenticeship Levy between April 2017 and March 2019.
HMRC collects data on a Pay As You Earn (PAYE) scheme basis, and employers may have multiple PAYE schemes. HMRC is currently exploring the feasibility of accurately aggregating PAYE schemes to employer level.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) apprenticeships and (b) vocational training in the haulage industry.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Department has supported the Logistics and Supply Chain Trailblazer group in developing new apprenticeship standards for LGV drivers and Supply Chain Operators, both of which were approved for delivery in May. Both standards have been developed by employers to truly meet the needs of their sector. The new LGV Driver standard allows apprentices to gain their Category C LGV licence alongside the training and assessment for the new standard, rather than it being an entry requirement as it was under the old system.
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has an account management function to support employers to invest in apprenticeships and they are working with some of the biggest hauliers including DHL, Kuehne, Nagel and, more recently, Wincanton. The SFA is also supporting the British International Freight Association to develop a new apprenticeship standard for international freight.
Transport and logistics is also one of the 15 technical education routes set out in the Post 16 Skills Plan.