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Modern Apprenticeships

Answer

The Apprenticeship programme continues to go from strength to strength with record numbers of young people participating and completion rates improving more quickly than expected. We have ensured that sufficient funding is made available to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who deliver the programme, to meet our targets and aspiration in this area. This will continue in the next funding year 2005–06. However, the details asked are a matter for the LSC and I have asked the Council's Chief Executive Mark Haysom to write to the hon. Member and a copy of the reply will be placed in the Library.Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 5 September 2005:"I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which has been referred to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by Phil Hope.""You asked the number of people (a) starting and (b) completing Modern Apprenticeships in 2005–06; and what funding has been allocated to Modern Apprenticeships in 2005–06.""The planning assumptions on which the Apprenticeship programme for 2005–06 has been based are as follows:""(a) Apprenticeship starts forecasted at 232,394 learners.""(b) Apprenticeship framework completions 65,260 learners.""(c) Funding set aside for the Apprenticeship programme £831 million.""You also what the total spending by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was on promotion of apprenticeships in each of the last 10 years.""The LSC was incorporated on 1st April 2001, as such the first financial year for which the LSC assumed responsibility for managing the delivery of apprenticeships was 2001–02. Table 1 below shows the total expenditure coded as marketing, advertising, development and promotion of apprenticeships in the LSCs accounts for the 2001–02 and subsequent financial years."

Table 1
Financial Year	Total expenditure (£ million)
2001–02	8.715
2002–03	10.750
2003–04	4.684
2004–05	15.050
Total	39.200

"During the financial year April 2004 to March 2005, the LSC spent £12.206 million on national marketing and promotion of Apprenticeships; this included the national employer campaign.""Local LSCs spent a further £2.845 million undertaking brokerage activities with local partners to build on and respond to interest generated by the national employer campaign.""To date the national media campaign has achieved 28,925 responses, resulting in 18,743 employer leads.""Our research¹ also shows that awareness of Apprenticeships rose significantly during the campaign, with nearly 90% of employer respondents aware of Apprenticeships in October 2004 compared with 72% in December 2003 (pre-campaign).""I trust this is helpful.""¹Source: Apprenticeship Research: Employers""Synovate November 2004""Commissioned for the LSC by COI Communications"

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

13901; 436 c2352-3W;436 c2330-1W

Session

2005-06

Related items

Deposited Paper HINF 2005/1527
Friday, 29 July 2005
Deposited papers
House of Commons

Subjects

Apprentices