Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many further education students undertook further education apprenticeships in each of the last ten years; and what the average cost to the public purse was per student in each of those years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Further education (FE) colleges are a critical component of the apprenticeships system in England, delivering high quality training to apprentices across a wide range of occupations.
The table below shows the volume of apprentice learners participating in apprenticeship training in FE colleges for each of the last 10 academic years. It also sets out the average cost per apprentice learner at colleges.
Academic Year | Apprentice learners participating in colleges | Average cost per apprentice |
2012/13 | 285,000 | £1,990 |
2013/14 | 284,700 | £1,580 |
2014/15 | 293,300 | £1,570 |
2015/16 | 302,900 | £1,610 |
2016/17 | 301,600 | £1,660 |
2017/18 | 251,600 | £1,830 |
2018/19 | 206,800 | £2,230 |
2019/20 | 180,200 | £2,510 |
2020/21 | 159,400 | £2,590 |
2021/22 | 153,400 | £2,970 |
Average costs are rounded to the nearest £10 and participation volumes to the nearest 100.
The fall in apprentices undertaking training in FE colleges since 2016/17 reflects an overall decrease in apprenticeship starts, the removal of often low-quality apprenticeship frameworks and the increase in Independent Training Providers and Higher Education Institutions delivering apprenticeships training.
The average cost per apprentice is calculated based on learners at college who undertook apprenticeship training for at least one month or more during the academic year. These cover all training and assessment costs for the learner, including additional payments provided to the employer and/or provider, such as for additional learning support. These costs do not include payments for the COVID-19 employer incentive scheme which ran from August 2020 to January 2022
The increase in cost per apprentice learner at FE colleges is the result of our reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships. This includes the introduction of more than 650 new apprenticeship standards designed by employers, the introduction of rigorous and independent end-point assessment, and the requirement that apprentices spend at least 20% of their time in off-the-job training.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
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.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the impact of the apprenticeship levy on the number of people starting an apprenticeship starts since 2018.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Since 2017/18 there has been over 1.7 million apprenticeship starts. An annual breakdown is provided in the table below:
Academic Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Apprenticeship Starts | 375,760 | 393,380 | 322,530 | 321,440 | 349,190 |
It is encouraging to see last year’s strong recovery in apprenticeship starts, supported by incentive payments for employers and training flexibilities, which gave employers confidence to offer new apprenticeships and to deliver them in the way that works best for their business.
The department has created flexible training models, such as flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships accessible for all sectors. We have also developed ‘career starter’ standards to attract more young people to apprenticeships. The department is supporting employers to make greater use of their levy funds and have improved the transfer system to make it easier to find employers who wish to take on apprentices with transferred funds.
The department is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support more employers and apprentices to benefit from high-quality apprenticeship training.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help improve access to apprenticeships in the North.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department is committed to supporting more employers in all sectors, in all areas of the country, including in the North, to use apprenticeships to develop the skilled workforces they need. We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.
Since August 2018, there has been a total of 422,100 apprenticeship starts across the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25 financial year.
The department is also encouraging more flexible training models, such as front-loaded, accelerated and flexi-job apprenticeships, to make it easier for employers to access apprenticeship training in the way that works best for them.
The department continues to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support starts in their supply chain, sector, or local area. This will also support more employers, including small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to meet local or sectoral skills needs.
We have launched a new SME pathfinder, that will support SMEs in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, who face barriers in recruiting apprentices to access the skills training they need to grow.
The department is raising awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships for learners through our ‘Skills for Life’ and ‘Get the Jump’ campaigns. In addition, our new ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ campaign showcases apprenticeship standards which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of apprenticeship starts there have been with businesses in England since 2018.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The table below provides the number of apprenticeship starts in England for the 2017/18 academic year through to the 2021/22 academic year.
Academic Year | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 Provisional |
Apprenticeship Starts | 375,760 | 393,380 | 322,530 | 321,440 | 347,920 |
Please note that the data provided for the 2021/22 academic year remains provisional until the publication of our annual apprenticeships and traineeships statistical release in November 2022. When published, this data will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-november-2022.
The department’s reforms to apprenticeships have empowered employers to develop more than 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, helping them to build the skilled workforces they need to grow. Employers make the decision about which apprenticeships are right for them and choose when they take on apprentices to meet the needs of their business.
The department wants to support employers of all sizes to offer more apprenticeship opportunities, so that even more individuals can benefit from high-quality opportunities to earn whilst learning. We are increasing the funding available for apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and making apprenticeship training more flexible so that apprenticeships are accessible to employers in all sectors.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to promote the apprenticeship route to young people in secondary education.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The department’s new ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ campaign showcases apprenticeship standards which offer great opportunities for those looking for their first role after leaving full-time education.
The first featured apprenticeships, all at level 2 and 3, launched in August. More information on the campaign can be found here: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/career-starter-apprenticeships, and more featured apprenticeships will be published over the coming months.
The department also continues to promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through our Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge programme. This free service provides resources and interventions to help better educate young people about apprenticeships. Since September 2021 it has reached over 685,000 students and over 2,500 schools.
Alongside this, our ‘Get the Jump’ campaign is raising awareness and understanding of the full range of education and training choices available to young people. More information is available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-your-education-and-training-choices.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to support the (a) training of builders and insulators and (b) new recruits to that sector to support the insulation of homes.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education (FE) and skills over the Parliament to ensure people have access to skills to build a fulfilling career in jobs the economy needs. The department’s Skills for Jobs white paper sets out our plan to invest in opportunities for new entrants to the labour market, as well as upskilling opportunities for adults. These interventions are key to the country’s transition to a net zero economy and our ambition to build roads, homes, and broadband faster.
Apprenticeships are at the forefront of this change. There are 97 high-quality apprenticeship standards in the construction and the built environment occupational route, which have been developed by employer trailblazer groups to ensure apprentices gain skills key to the sector. These include a range of standards relevant to insulation and retrofit, such as Industrial Thermal Insulation Technician at level 3, Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) at level 4, and Low Carbon Heating Technician at level 3.
In additional to apprenticeships, the department is taking steps to strengthen vocational options for young people with the introduction of T Levels. These are two-year, technical qualifications designed with businesses and employers, and are equivalent in size to 3 A levels. The first T Levels in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction were launched in 2020, with the first cohort having received their results this summer.
As we are strengthening progression pathways for career starters, the department is also investing in re-skilling and up-skilling opportunities to make sure adults, at any age, can upskill to reach their potential, transforming lives and delivering on the National Skills Fund commitment. As part of this investment, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which enables learners without a level 3 qualification, or learners with any qualification level but earning below the National Living Wage, to gain a qualification for free. 72 qualifications in building and construction are currently on offer under this scheme. In addition, learners who want to upskill in their role, are looking for work, or are changing career can take part in Skills Bootcamps in construction and green skills.
The department is promoting and increasing awareness of our skills provision to learners and employers through the Skills for Life campaign, which targets employers, young people, and adults. Our campaign toolkits provide more information and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/skills-campaign-toolkits. Moreover, the department supports cross-government discussions on wider workforce challenges in the sector, for example through the Green Jobs Delivery Group. More information on this is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-jobs-delivery-steps-up-a-gear.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department has made available to help support agricultural businesses offer apprenticeships in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
In the current 2022/23 financial year funding available for apprenticeships in England is £2.6 billion. The government is increasing apprenticeships funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year.
Employers of all sizes and in all sectors can access the funding available for apprenticeships. The government continues to pay 95% of apprentice training costs for non-levy paying employers, often small and medium-sized enterprises, and meets 100% of training costs for the smallest employers (those with fewer than 50 staff) when they take on eligible young apprentices.
Employers in the agricultural sector have developed 41 high-quality apprenticeship standards to allow them to develop their workforces, including crop technician, livestock unit technician, and land-based service engineering technician. So far for the 2021/22 academic year, between August 2021 and April 2022, there have been 6,000 apprenticeship starts in agriculture, horticulture and animal care subject areas, an increase of 31% compared to the same period the previous year.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase apprenticeships opportunities in the cyber technology sector.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
Apprenticeships provide people with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start, progress or re-train in the technology sector, helping employers to address their current and emerging skills needs and build a diverse pipeline of talent.
The department continues to work in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and supports their newly launched strategy to make the digital economy more inclusive, competitive, and innovative by supporting the growth of Digital, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence strategies.
We have put employers at the heart of our apprenticeship system, empowering them to design the standards they need. Employers in the digital sector have so far developed 26 high-quality digital apprenticeship standards across all levels in occupations such as Data Science, Cyber Security, Digital and Technology solutions, AI, Software Developer and Creative Digital Design.
In the 2020/21 academic year there were 18,400 apprenticeship starts in the Information and Communication Technology sector subject area, with 17,000 starts reported so far for the first eight months of the 2021/22 academic year.
The department is also encouraging all employers to offer more flexible training models. There are two flexi-job apprenticeship agencies supporting the digital sector, ensuring apprentices are ready to work on-site and can benefit from the high-quality long-term training that an apprenticeship provides.
We are working closely with stakeholders in the digital skills sector to identify opportunities for improvements that support digital growth and deliver sector growth campaigns via trusted sector voices including TechUK and BCS, to inspire and inform SMEs to recruit apprentices in the digital sector.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the review of the Apprenticeships Levy, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) increasing the uptake and (b) improving the quality of apprenticeships in STEM.
Answered by Simon Clarke
As part of the Spring Statement, the government committed to considering whether further intervention is needed to encourage employers to offer the high-quality employee training the UK needs. This will include examining whether the current tax system – including the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy – is doing enough to incentivise businesses to invest in the right kinds of training. There will not be a formal review of the Apprenticeship Levy or system.
As an employer-led offer, employers can choose how many apprentices to take on, what standards they offer, and which training provider to use. Combined with the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, the government has created hypothecated funds to support employer investment in the high-quality training an apprenticeship can deliver. Where these funds are not spent by levy payers, they are allocated to non-levy paying employers who receive support for 95% of the cost of high-quality apprenticeship training.
There are over 340 apprenticeship standards that are closely linked to STEM occupations in sectors including Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing, and ICT. In Academic Year 2020/21, there were 78,100 apprenticeship starts in STEM, making up 24% of all apprenticeship starts that year. Popular STEM standards included Level 3 Engineering Technician (5,401 starts) and Level 4 Data Analyst (3,717 starts).