Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to remove the 12-month minimum course requirement for the use of apprenticeship levy money.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. The department is committed to supporting more people to benefit from the sustained, high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.
Levy-payers can spend their levy funds on over 660 apprenticeship standards and the department is encouraging more flexible training models so employers can train their apprentices in the ways that work best for them.
The department considers that a period of 24 months before levy funds expire gives employers ample time to plan their apprenticeship programmes and create new apprenticeship opportunities.
The department’s reforms have raised the quality of apprenticeships, giving apprentices confidence that they will receive stretching and sustained training. We continue to support and safeguard apprenticeship quality through several measures, including minimum duration requirements for off-the-job training, provider accountability monitoring, the 12-month minimum period of training, and Ofsted inspection and monitoring visits.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend the period of time within which employers can use their apprenticeship levy funds from 24 to 36 months.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. The department is committed to supporting more people to benefit from the sustained, high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.
Levy-payers can spend their levy funds on over 660 apprenticeship standards and the department is encouraging more flexible training models so employers can train their apprentices in the ways that work best for them.
The department considers that a period of 24 months before levy funds expire gives employers ample time to plan their apprenticeship programmes and create new apprenticeship opportunities.
The department’s reforms have raised the quality of apprenticeships, giving apprentices confidence that they will receive stretching and sustained training. We continue to support and safeguard apprenticeship quality through several measures, including minimum duration requirements for off-the-job training, provider accountability monitoring, the 12-month minimum period of training, and Ofsted inspection and monitoring visits.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of young adults joining the Trade Industry through training schemes such as apprenticeships.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has invested in a range of programmes aimed at encouraging young people and adults to train, retrain and get the skills they need for employment, including in the Trade industry.
We are providing an extra £1.6 billion in 16-to-19 education by the 2024/25 financial year, compared with 2021/22. This includes up to £500 million extra a year for T Levels when fully rolled out.
The Adult Education Budget, which is £1.34 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support them to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
The department has introduced T Levels, which are two-year, level 3, technical study courses that offer young people a choice of high-quality training. 16 T Levels are now available in further education providers across the country, with T Levels in Construction leading to careers in plumbing and heating engineering, carpentry and joinery, bricklaying, plastering & painting and decorating, along with many other trade occupations.
There are nearly 100 high-quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards available in the construction sector. The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 to support more apprenticeship opportunities, and we continue to offer £1,000 payments to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or 19 to 24 where they have an education, health and care plan. In addition, our Career Starter apprenticeships campaign is promoting apprenticeships that offer great opportunities to those leaving full-time education, such as Engineering Fitter and Plumber.
We have introduced Skills Bootcamps which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people over the age of 19 the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Training is available in skill areas such as construction, engineering and other technical sectors including courses in welding, electrical installation and plumbing amongst others.
Following the recent Budget announcement of an additional £34 million investment in the 2024/25 financial year, building upon the £550 million investment across the 2022/25 financial years, we will target making 64,000 training places a year available by 2024/25 to ensure that even more adult learners across all areas of the country can access Skills Bootcamps.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free. This offer includes many qualifications that are delivered flexibly and online. Qualifications are available across the country in a wide range of sectors including building, construction and engineering.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Science and Technology Framework to include policies on apprenticeships; and if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to increase the number of apprenticeships in the (a) engineering, (b) technology and (c) other key sectors.
Answered by George Freeman
The Science and Technology Framework outlines our goals and vision to 2030, including initial work that departments will undertake, but is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of the actions the government is taking. DSIT is working with the Department for Education (DfE) to expand opportunities for participation in STEM skills programmes. DfE's cross-government action plan on STEM talent and skills aims to develop the pipeline of individuals studying and working in priority sectors, including those taking up apprenticeships.
With over 350 high-quality apprenticeship standards available in STEM sectors, apprenticeships are an important route for supporting people to begin, or progress in careers in science and technology. From 3 April, small employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy are able to recruit as many apprentices as their business needs where previously they were limited to 10 new apprenticeship starts. There are opportunities available through other routes, too: in the March budget, £63 million was announced for additional places for Skills Bootcamps and Sector-Based Work Academy placements, which will cover technical skills, digital skills and green skills. Apprenticeships are at the forefront of DfE's employer-centred skills system reforms.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeship degrees are provided in Coventry.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Employers have designed over 155 high-quality degree level apprenticeship standards to support them in developing the skilled workforces they need. There were over 43,000 starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year, which is an increase of 10.3% on the previous year. Of those, 240 apprenticeship starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year were by learners living in the Coventry local authority area. The department is working to expand these opportunities further, so that they are accessible to more people across England, including in Coventry.
The department has made £8 million available in the 2022/23 financial year to higher education (HE) institutions through the Strategic Priorities Grant, to enable them to grow degree level apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships. As part of this, Coventry University has been awarded over £200,000 this year to develop degree apprenticeship provision, and a further £62,000 for Level 4 and 5 provision.
All university Vice-Chancellors have been contacted with details on how the HE sector can drive forward the government’s ambitious skills agenda through the expansion of degree level apprenticeships.
The department has worked with employers across the country to help them showcase higher and degree level apprenticeship vacancies. During National Apprenticeship Week, we published a listing featuring hundreds of vacancies that are available for people to apply for now, including in the West Midlands. This listing is available at: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2022/11/Higher-Degree-Listing-FEB-2023.pdf.
In addition, the department continues to work on a programme of ‘simplification’, exploring ways we can remove unnecessary bureaucracy, complexity, and barriers to engagement for apprentices, employers, and providers. We recognise that universities are already subject to significant regulation, and are working with the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and HE institutions to identify and remove barriers to universities offering more degree apprenticeship programmes.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of giving businesses greater control of the Apprenticeship Levy, in order to fund a wider range of courses which could be used to fill vacancies in sectors struggling with recruitment, such as hospitality and retail.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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. The government does not currently have any plans to review the apprenticeship levy.
The apprenticeships budget 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 table below shows the department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget against the apprenticeship expenditure for the last three financial years (FY).
(£ million) | FY 19/20 | FY 20/21 | FY 21/22 |
DfE Ring-fence Apprenticeships Budget | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 |
Total Ring-fence Apprenticeships Spend | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 |
Underspend against Ring-fenced Apprenticeships Budget | 550 | 604 | 11 |
In the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the apprenticeships budget was spent. It is therefore important that the apprenticeships budget remains ring-fenced to support the demand by employers for high-quality apprenticeship training.
The government is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and is continuing to improve the apprenticeships system to support employers fill their vacancies and train their workforces to address industry skills gaps.
The department has worked with employers to develop over 660 high-quality apprenticeship standards, including in hospitality and retail occupations. We have also created flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, and improved the levy transfer system so it is easier for levy paying employers to make full use of their levy funds.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Apprenticeship Levy was returned to the Treasury in each of the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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. The government does not currently have any plans to review the apprenticeship levy.
The apprenticeships budget 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 table below shows the department’s ring-fenced apprenticeships budget against the apprenticeship expenditure for the last three financial years (FY).
(£ million) | FY 19/20 | FY 20/21 | FY 21/22 |
DfE Ring-fence Apprenticeships Budget | 2,469 | 2,467 | 2,466 |
Total Ring-fence Apprenticeships Spend | 1,919 | 1,863 | 2,455 |
Underspend against Ring-fenced Apprenticeships Budget | 550 | 604 | 11 |
In the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the apprenticeships budget was spent. It is therefore important that the apprenticeships budget remains ring-fenced to support the demand by employers for high-quality apprenticeship training.
The government is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and is continuing to improve the apprenticeships system to support employers fill their vacancies and train their workforces to address industry skills gaps.
The department has worked with employers to develop over 660 high-quality apprenticeship standards, including in hospitality and retail occupations. We have also created flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, and improved the levy transfer system so it is easier for levy paying employers to make full use of their levy funds.
Asked by: Earl of Leicester (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they are doing to encourage more people to enter careers in arboriculture.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department wants to ensure that people get high quality, impartial advice on the full range of education, training, and career pathways, including careers in arboriculture.
Employers have designed three high-quality apprenticeship standards in arboriculture at entry level 2, level 4, and level 6, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. The department recognises that current numbers of apprentices who complete apprenticeships in arboriculture is low. To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships, the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year. Based on the same employer-led standards as apprenticeships, T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management and Production will be taught for the first time this September. This course allows students to specialise in Trees and Woodlands Management.
The department works with the Careers & Enterprise Company to support secondary schools and colleges to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, an experience of the workplace by age 16 and a further experience by age 18. There are lots of ways employers can engage with the Careers & Enterprise Company, including volunteering to work with individual schools or colleges and working with Careers Hubs on a larger local or regional scale. Industry partnerships support business and sector bodies to share up-to-date information about new pathways into their sector to education leaders and young people and increase the representation of their sector nationally. Employers can find out more via the Careers & Enterprise Company website at: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers/.
The National Careers Service (NCS) supports both young people over 13 and adults in offering careers advice across all employment sectors. The website includes around 800 job profiles, describing what these roles entail, qualifications, and entry routes. The NCS can also work with industry to disseminate information to career leaders and careers advisers, in schools, colleges, and in the community via bulletins and newsletters.
The department also funds the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, which provides information, advice and guidance to young people in years 10 to 13 in schools, and further education colleges. At a cost of £3.2 million per year, the programme reached 680,000 young people in the 2021/22 academic year, and over 2,000 schools. It supports young people, parents and carers and teachers into understanding and applying for apprenticeships, T Levels, and Traineeships.
Employers and professional bodies in the arboriculture sector can sign up to Inspiring the Future, run by the Education and Employers charity. This free programme allows volunteers to visit state schools to talk to pupils about their jobs. This will raise the profile of various careers within the arboriculture sector. This is available at: https://www.inspiringthefuture.org.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to improve incentives for businesses to invest in skills training.
Answered by Robert Halfon
My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Chancellor of the Exchequer meet regularly to discuss how skills can contribute to economic growth.
The government is clear that employers have a key role to play in the skills system, and it is important for supporting the country’s productivity and addressing skills gaps that employers invest in skills training.
The government is taking steps to build a skills system that is employer focused, high-quality, and fit for the future, so that skills training is aligned to the needs of employers. The department is embedding employer-led apprenticeship standards, driving qualification reform to ensure technical qualifications are high-quality and establishing employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans. These reforms intend to give employers a greater role in the skills system so that they can invest in skills training with confidence.
The department is committed to ensuring that apprenticeships play a key part of the skills landscape, providing employers with the skilled workforce they need for the future.
The Apprenticeship Levy supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training and has supported us to grow investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. The government does not currently have any plans to review the Apprenticeship Levy.
The department continues to take steps to improve the apprenticeships system for employers and apprentices. We have made apprenticeships more accessible for all sectors through the development of flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, and we are working with providers to simplify the apprenticeship system through our 'You said, we did' programme. The department has also outlined plans to improve apprenticeships quality, with an ambition for 67% of apprentices completing their apprenticeships by 2024/25.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reviewing the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy to incentivise investment in skills training.
Answered by Robert Halfon
My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Chancellor of the Exchequer meet regularly to discuss how skills can contribute to economic growth.
The government is clear that employers have a key role to play in the skills system, and it is important for supporting the country’s productivity and addressing skills gaps that employers invest in skills training.
The government is taking steps to build a skills system that is employer focused, high-quality, and fit for the future, so that skills training is aligned to the needs of employers. The department is embedding employer-led apprenticeship standards, driving qualification reform to ensure technical qualifications are high-quality and establishing employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans. These reforms intend to give employers a greater role in the skills system so that they can invest in skills training with confidence.
The department is committed to ensuring that apprenticeships play a key part of the skills landscape, providing employers with the skilled workforce they need for the future.
The Apprenticeship Levy supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training and has supported us to grow investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. The government does not currently have any plans to review the Apprenticeship Levy.
The department continues to take steps to improve the apprenticeships system for employers and apprentices. We have made apprenticeships more accessible for all sectors through the development of flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, and we are working with providers to simplify the apprenticeship system through our 'You said, we did' programme. The department has also outlined plans to improve apprenticeships quality, with an ambition for 67% of apprentices completing their apprenticeships by 2024/25.