Written question asked by Lord Gove (Conservative) on Monday, 30 March 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 April 2009. It was answered by Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 2009 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Young People: Apprentices

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many hours a week on average pupils on young apprenticeships in each industrial sector spent in a work setting in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answer: The Young Apprenticeship programme (YA) for 14 to 16-year-olds is a successful pilot available in selected areas since 2004. From September 2006 all YAs have undertaken a minimum of 50 days work experience, regardless of sector. The Sector Skills Council (SSCs) oversees the quality and certification of this process.There are a number of approved delivery models with many young people undertaking placements on a one day per week basis. However, on average 44 per cent. of YAs also use periods of block placement to gain work experience with employers or a mixture of both.An evaluation of the programme carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) which covers the period September 2004 to July 2006 indicated that on average YA learners undertook between 10 and 53 days of work experience. This data covers a period before a 50 day minimum requirement was introduced.Monitoring of the fulfilment of placements is the responsibility of the lead partner within the YA partnerships which may be a school, work base learning provider or the delivery partner.

Secondary information