Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Dearing (Crossbench). It was answered on Monday, 21 April 2008.

Apprenticeships

Question: My Lords, the Minister said in her reply that the target included the public as well as the private sector. Can she make clear what specific action the Government have taken in connection with their Skills Pledge to encourage enterprises and concerns in the public sector to offer apprenticeships? Further, will she consider the extent to which young people in secure settings can be helped by public-sector employers to gain apprenticeships?

Answer: My Lords, the noble Lord is extremely knowledgeable about these matters and he is absolutely right to draw attention to the important role of the public sector. As a Government we have to take the lead and put our own house in order because we do not do as well as we should. For example, in my department the Permanent Secretary, Ian Whatmore, is leading a government-wide initiative to make sure that we make our full contribution and that we expect to see new apprenticeships created in government, starting with at least 500 new apprenticeships this year. Moreover, in DIUS we aim to ensure that we have new apprenticeships beginning this year as well.

Secondary information