Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons has there been a decline in apprenticeship starts in the 2022-23 academic year.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Since 2010, there have been over 5.5 million apprenticeship starts. During that time, we have built a new skills system from the ground up which includes introducing new apprenticeship standards that better meet the needs of employers and apprentices today. There are now over 680 apprenticeships available from entry level right through to masters level, with over 5,000 employers involved in their development.
The government has introduced world class skills opportunities benefitting people whatever age or stage of life. Individuals now have more vocational training options than ever before with the introduction of T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, skills bootcamps and high quality apprenticeships. As well as being dependant on individuals choosing to undertake an apprenticeship, demand for apprenticeships is also dependent on employers choosing to offer new apprenticeship opportunities.
There have been 316,940 apprenticeship starts during the first eleven months of the 2022/23 academic year between August 2022 and June 2023, compared to 328,780 reported at the same point in the previous academic year. The department expects to publish full final year data in November 2023 at the following web-address: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2022-23.
It is important to note that in 2021/22, the last full academic year for which data is available, apprenticeship starts were 8.6% higher than in 2020/21.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all apprenticeships receive the mandated off-the-job training entitlement.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has made significant reforms to the quality of apprenticeships to ensure they meet the needs of employers and bring wider benefits to the country and the economy. Apprenticeships have a minimum 12-month duration with more training (minimum 20% off-the-job) and are more rigorous and credible with employer led standards and independent end-point assessments.
Off-the-job training is an essential component and a legal requirement of an apprenticeship, supporting apprentices to develop the skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard so they can achieve occupational competence
When employers recruit an apprentice, they enter a legally binding contract that requires compliance with the apprenticeship funding rules. These rules must be followed by both employers and apprenticeship training providers to receive funding for the training and assessment of apprentices in England. It is mandatory for all apprentices, regardless of their programme, to complete a minimum of 20% off-the-job training.
To ensure that apprentices receive the required off-the-job training, providers must report both the planned and actual off-the-job training hours for every apprenticeship and the department conducts regular reviews of training provider activity through funding reports and quality assessment audits, taking necessary action to address providers found not to be following these rules.
The department also support providers by promoting a better understanding of the apprenticeship funding rules through online webinars, publishing myth busters and detailed guidance on off the job training, plus supporting evidence templates.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide funding to the West Midlands Ambulance Service Student's Paramedic Apprenticeship Programme.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Employers of all sizes can access funding for apprenticeships training and assessment when they need it. The department does not allocate funding to particular employers, apprenticeship standards or sectors.
As a levy paying employer, West Midlands Ambulance Service can utilise their levy funds to invest in the high-quality apprenticeships training they choose. The West Midlands Ambulance Service is also registered and approved to deliver apprenticeships training for other employers.
To support more employers across the country, including the National Health Service (NHS), to recruit new apprentices, the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year.
The NHS have recently published their long-term workforce plan which puts apprenticeships and skills at the heart of the NHS workforce strategy. The proportion of paramedics who will be trained through apprenticeships will be between 25 – 50% by 2031/32.
These apprenticeships will make medical professions more accessible and help to build a highly skilled and diverse NHS workforce that is more representative of local communities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on developing skills academies for the construction industry.
Answered by Robert Halfon
No discussions on plans for skills academies for the construction sector have taken place.
We are working across government and in partnership with industry through the Construction Skills Delivery Group, to ensure that our skills offer meets the needs of employers in the sector, including small and medium sized enterprises.
The department’s skills reforms in England provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers. We are building a skills system that is employer focused, high-quality, fit for the future, and is flexible enough to lead to more people completing high quality courses that meet employers’ needs. This ambitious skills agenda is backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. The department is using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education, ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive.
With this investment, we are putting employers at the heart of our skills system, which is why we are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key economic sectors including construction.
From August 2023 there will be a number of qualifications approved for funding in the building and construction sector including 59 at level 3 in the Free Courses for Job offer, 99 at levels 3 to 6 through Advanced Learner Loans, and 393 at entry level and level 2 through the Adult Education Budget.
Our high-quality apprenticeships are supporting people of all ages with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start, or progress in, an exciting career in the construction sector. Employers in the construction sector have developed 99 high quality apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs, including in occupations like level 2 scaffolder, level 3 bricklayer, and degree level 6 construction site manager.
The department has introduced innovations to support growth of training programmes in the sector. We are making apprenticeships more flexible, for example through flexi job apprenticeships. Flexi job Apprenticeships are available to employers and apprentices in two ways, one type operates with an agency and the other is apprentice-led and operates without an agency.
T Levels are strengthening vocational options for young people finishing their GCSEs. These two-year, technical qualifications are designed with relevant employers, and are equivalent in size to three A levels. T Levels in construction can lead to a range of careers in the construction sector.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, allows eligible adults to access over 400 level 3 qualifications, A level equivalent, for free. There are many qualifications are available on the offer in all areas of the construction sector including engineering, skilled trades and site management.
Skills Bootcamps are 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 with an employer on completion. Skills Bootcamps are available in a variety of skill areas including construction offering a range of courses such as construction trades and heat pump installation.
We have also introduced Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These are current, new level 4 to 5 qualifications, approved and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. From September 2023, there will be 18 HTQs available in Construction and the Built Environment.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of offering apprenticeships which provide Level 5 and Level 6 planning qualifications.
Answered by Robert Halfon
An apprenticeship is a job with training which offers a high-quality alternative to academic and classroom-based qualifications. Employers are at the heart of our apprenticeship system, and employers in the construction and built environment sector have designed a range of high-quality apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs.
There are currently 99 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery in the construction and built environment sector, including level 4 town planning assistant, level 6 project controls professional, and level 7 chartered town planner. These standards have been developed in collaboration with employers to ensure that apprentices are occupationally competent once they achieve their end point assessment.
Where there is a genuine occupational gap not met by an existing apprenticeship standard, employers are able to work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to develop a high-quality apprenticeship which meets their needs.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to incentivise employers in the (a) public and (b) private sector to take on apprentices.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has developed an employer-led apprenticeship system which allows employers to design the apprenticeships they need and directly access funding for the apprenticeships that they want, when they want it. There are currently over 670 high-quality apprenticeship standards available for employers across every sector to access.
The department wants to support more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. We have introduced flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible, and have improved the transfer system so levy-payers can make the most of their funds.
We recognise the important role that small-medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities. In April 2023, we removed the limit to the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on, making it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need. The department also provides £1,000 to employers and training providers when they take on certain younger apprentices.
The department works closely with both private and public sector employers to develop and expand their apprenticeship programmes. Since April 2017, there have been over 280,000 apprenticeship starts from public sector employers, and new apprenticeship entry routes created for professions such as nursing and policing.
On the 22 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, gave a speech at the Skills for Growth Conference to an audience of public and private sector employers, discussing how we can create a workforce fit for the future and address the urgent recruitment needs of businesses through apprenticeships and skills.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the reasons that employers (a) offer and (b) do not offer apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has developed an employer-led apprenticeship system which allows employers to design the apprenticeships they need and directly access funding for the apprenticeships that they want, when they want it. There are currently over 670 high-quality apprenticeship standards available for employers across every sector to access.
The department wants to support more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. We have introduced flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible, and have improved the transfer system so levy-payers can make the most of their funds.
We recognise the important role that small-medium sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities. In April 2023, we removed the limit to the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on, making it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need. The department also provides £1,000 to employers and training providers when they take on certain younger apprentices.
The department works closely with both private and public sector employers to develop and expand their apprenticeship programmes. Since April 2017, there have been over 280,000 apprenticeship starts from public sector employers, and new apprenticeship entry routes created for professions such as nursing and policing.
On the 22 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, gave a speech at the Skills for Growth Conference to an audience of public and private sector employers, discussing how we can create a workforce fit for the future and address the urgent recruitment needs of businesses through apprenticeships and skills.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2023 to Question 190594, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the return of apprenticeship levy funding to the Treasury.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system. It supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, which is more than double what was spent on apprenticeships in 2010/11 in cash terms.
Employers choose which apprenticeships they offer and when, therefore total annual spend on apprenticeships depends on the choices made by employers. While the department has seen some underspends in the apprenticeship budget in previous years, this will not always be the case. In the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the apprenticeship budget in England was spent, supporting employers of all sizes to build the skilled workforces they need.
Employers can now choose from over 670 high-quality apprenticeship standards in a variety of sectors to help meet their skills needs. The department also continues to encourage employers to make greater use of apprenticeships by introducing flexible training models like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, which are making apprenticeships more accessible for all sectors. The department has also improved the transfer system to make it easier for levy paying employers to find other employers who wish to take on new apprentices with transferred funds.
As well as funding new apprenticeships in levy-paying employers, the English apprenticeships budget also supports new apprenticeships in employers that do not pay the levy, existing apprentices that started in previous years, English and mathematics tuition for apprentices and additional payments to employers, providers and apprentices.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to section 7.4 on Skills and talent in the National Semiconductor Strategy, published by her Department on 19 May 2023, what her expected timescale is for a reduction in shortages of people with the skills required for operator and technician-level positions; and what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring that (a) vocational, (b) graduate and (c) post-graduate courses help to reduce skills gaps in the semiconductor industry.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government’s new National Semiconductor Strategy recognises that skills are a fundamental building block underpinning the semiconductor sector at every stage from research, development, and innovation, through to commercialisation and industrial scale up.
That’s why the Government is taking action to make the UK talent pool stronger and more dynamic, supplying industry across all regions of the UK. From apprentices to PhD graduates, we are focussed on ensuring the UK has the right people with the right skills for the job.
Our approach to skills within the Strategy comes broadly in two parts: first, our investment in schools and teachers, as well as career advice and outreach programmes to inspire the next generation, and to nurture the higher education sector. Second, we will promote industry-led learning to ensure a robust pipeline of talent that meets their needs.
The Government has already supported over 450 PhD students since 2017 to begin semiconductor related research. And we will continue to provide support to Centres for Doctoral Training to help produce the next generation of internationally recognised doctoral researchers.
We will also ensure that occupational standards for apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications (HTQs) and T-Levels meet the specific requirements of the semiconductor industry.
In addition, we are supporting the Department for Education’s Institute of Technology programme which has been backed by £300 million of government capital investment. We are encouraging more employers who serve the semiconductor industry to engage with the Institute of Technology programme to ensure that the sector’s specialisms are better served through this novel education delivery mechanism.
Getting our approach right on skills is a cross-government effort. We will continue to work with the Department of Education, industry partners and wider stakeholders on this agenda as we progress the commitments within the Strategy.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the Apprenticeship Levy that has been spent on people studying at (a) Level 3 and (b) level 4 and above in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. Employers have developed over 670 apprenticeship standards, including 220 at level 3 and 315 at levels 4 and above, to build the skilled workforces they need.
There have been over 5.4 million apprenticeship starts in England since 2010.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers. The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year, and it is encouraging to see that in the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the budget was spent.
The table below shows the total apprenticeships participation spend in England at level 3 and above from the 2017/18 academic year. This is the total spend for apprenticeships by both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers and includes apprenticeships started in previous years.
Apprenticeships participation spend (£ million) | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 | Level 7 |
2017/18 | 622 | 746 | 68 | 55 | 33 | 11 |
2018/19 | 557 | 838 | 120 | 100 | 78 | 57 |
2019/20 | 473 | 885 | 163 | 132 | 133 | 118 |
2020/21 | 378 | 848 | 192 | 156 | 203 | 186 |
2021/22 | 421 | 953 | 222 | 160 | 290 | 216 |