Apprenticeships are more important than ever in helping businesses to recruit the right people and develop the skills they need. To help employers offer new apprenticeships, the government’s Plan for Jobs introduced payments to employers for each new apprentice they recruit since 1 August 2020. We have now increased these payments and employers can now claim £3000 for each apprentice they take on as a new employee between 1 April and 30 September 2021. The increased payment makes it a great time for employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities, take advantage of existing flexibilities to train apprentices in a way that suits their needs, and contribute to a skills-led recovery.

It is encouraging that employers continue to see the value apprentices can bring to their businesses. As of 3 March 2021, employers had so far claimed incentive payments for 34,810 apprentices. Employers can claim £2000 for apprentices hired as new employees from 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2021 aged 24 and under, and £1500 for those 25 and over.

We continue to carefully monitor the take-up of incentive payments by employers to ensure we continue to meet their needs as we build back better from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Additional analysis of apprenticeship incentive payments claimed to date is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

We are committed to supporting apprentices to safely continue with, and complete, their programmes during the COVID-19 outbreak. Provisional figures show that from August 2020 to January 2021, 59,400 apprentices achieved their apprenticeship (frameworks and standards).

We do not hold data on the number of apprentices who have been unable to complete their programme due to the impact of COVID-19. Our data collection system does not capture COVID-19 as a reason for a break in learning or withdrawal, and in many cases there will be a range of reasons for apprentices not completing their apprenticeship.

Since 8 March 2021, all apprentices have been able to return to on-site training and assessment.

In recognition of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we introduced a number of flexibilities in March 2020 to ensure that apprenticeships could continue where possible. This included flexibilities to off-the-job training to support remote learning, supporting remote assessment where practicable, and making it possible for furloughed apprentices to continue their apprenticeships and undertake end-point assessments. All assessment flexibilities and discretions put in place due to COVID-19 are extended until at least 31 August 2021. For apprentices who have experienced disruption to their training due to COVID-19 employers can extend the planned duration of the apprenticeship to accommodate this.

We are also supporting apprentices who have been made redundant through our Redundancy Support Service for Apprentices, which includes a vacancy sharing scheme to help redundant apprentices find new apprenticeship opportunities with employers. In addition, we have amended legislation to enable more apprentices to complete their apprenticeship in the event of redundancy.

We continue to work closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Ofqual and other organisations to mitigate the disruption to assessment, training and employment as a result of COVID-19.

The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has meant that it was not always viable for external exams and assessments to go ahead for some vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) this year, this includes Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs).

The department and Ofqual launched a consultation on 15 January 2021, seeking views by 29 January 2021, on the department’s position that Functional Skills qualification assessments should continue to take place remotely or in line with public health guidelines where possible, and that alternative arrangements should be introduced for those learners, including apprentices, who are unable to access assessments. The consultation on alternative arrangements for the award of VTQs and other general qualifications is published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/953003/6743-2_2021_VTQ_alternative_arrangements_consultation_15JAN21.pdf .

The approach for providing Functional Skills learners, including apprentices, with a result through alternative arrangements will be determined in light of the consultation. Until the outcome of the consultation is known, we can confirm that active apprentices who are deemed ready to take their FSQ assessments can still do so if it is in line with public health guidelines. This means apprentices can take their assessment at work or remotely, using flexibilities made available by their awarding organisation.

We are committed to supporting apprentices and employers to safely continue with, and complete, their programmes during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Following the announcement of a new national lockdown on 4 January 2021, employers and training providers must ensure that training and assessment takes place remotely. Face-to-face training and assessment can continue for vulnerable young apprentices – which includes 16- to 18-year-olds who may have difficulty engaging with remote training and assessment at home due to a lack of IT equipment or connectivity – and in employers’ COVID-secure settings where it is essential for workers to attend their workplace, and where it is safe and practical to do so.

Employers are responsible for providing their employees, including apprentices, with the tools they need to work remotely and should support apprentices with the digital resources they need to also continue their apprenticeships remotely. This includes access to equipment required for remote assessments and Functional Skills tests. Training providers may also be able to support apprentices with access to equipment where required.

To support businesses during this time, we have extended the incentive payments for employers of up to £2000 for each new apprentice they hire until the end of March 2021. Employers can use this funding to help meet any of the costs associated with supporting a new apprentice in the workplace, including providing laptops and other resources for learning.

The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the 2012/13 and 2018/19 academic years. Data for the 2019/20 academic year will be published in February 2021.

Apprenticeship starts relating to wind technology, oil and gas and solar technology are not published separately. However, wind and solar technology are most likely to be included in sector D: Energy Utilities and oil and gas within apprenticeship starts in sector B: Mining, C: Manufacturing or D: Energy Utilities, depending on whether the focus is on the extraction or manufacturing of oil and gas. The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector since the 2016/17 academic year.

Number of apprenticeship starts by industry sector, 2016/17 - 2018/19.

Source: DfE Apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics 2018/19 official statistics publication.

The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the 2012/13 and 2018/19 academic years. Data for the 2019/20 academic year will be published in February 2021.

Apprenticeship starts relating to wind technology, oil and gas and solar technology are not published separately. However, wind and solar technology are most likely to be included in sector D: Energy Utilities and oil and gas within apprenticeship starts in sector B: Mining, C: Manufacturing or D: Energy Utilities, depending on whether the focus is on the extraction or manufacturing of oil and gas. The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector since the 2016/17 academic year.

Number of apprenticeship starts by industry sector, 2016/17 - 2018/19.

Source: DfE Apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics 2018/19 official statistics publication.

The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the 2012/13 and 2018/19 academic years. Data for the 2019/20 academic year will be published in February 2021.

Apprenticeship starts relating to wind technology, oil and gas and solar technology are not published separately. However, wind and solar technology are most likely to be included in sector D: Energy Utilities and oil and gas within apprenticeship starts in sector B: Mining, C: Manufacturing or D: Energy Utilities, depending on whether the focus is on the extraction or manufacturing of oil and gas. The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector since the 2016/17 academic year.

Number of apprenticeship starts by industry sector, 2016/17 - 2018/19.

Source: DfE Apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics 2018/19 official statistics publication.

The number of apprenticeship starts from January to July 2020, reported to date, are shown in the table below:

Notes

(1) Data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

(2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

(3) Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.

(4) Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners as reported on the ILR.

Finalised figures covering January to July 2020 are due to be published in our next ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships’ statistics publication, later this month. The exact publication date will be announced on GOV.UK soon. The first available data for the 2020/21 academic year (covering August to October 2020) will not be published until January 2021.

We have introduced flexibilities to make it easier for apprentices of all ages to continue to benefit from the high-quality training that an apprenticeship provides. This includes apprentices who are furloughed, who can continue to train and undertake end point assessments, and also start apprenticeships where eligible. We are encouraging providers and assessment organisations to deliver training, assessment and support for apprentices remotely wherever possible.

Where it is not possible to continue training or assessment due to COVID-19, we have enabled apprentices, employers and providers to initiate a break in learning to ensure that apprentices can continue and complete their apprenticeships when it is possible to do so. We have also introduced flexibilities to enable apprentices to complete their apprenticeship in the event of disruption to assessment. Apprentices ready for assessment, but who cannot be assessed due to COVID-19 issues, can now have their end-point assessment rescheduled.

Further guidance for employers and training providers is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Training providers have in many cases developed effective online learning resources which enables them to retain their apprentices on programme so they can continue developing new skills, which will be vital for our economic recovery. At the same time training providers also have access to the comprehensive range of business support measures announced by HM Treasury. In addition, on 24 April 2020, the Education and Skills Funding Agency launched a Provider Relief Scheme which will put in place short term financial measures to support eligible training providers’ cash flow based on an assessment of need. This will enable us to retain capacity within the apprenticeships and adult education sector to deliver the skills we will need to support economic recovery post-outbreak. The relief scheme will also enable training providers who are eligible for support to maintain delivery to and support for existing apprentices, learners and employers whilst enabling new apprentices and learners to enrol as soon as it is safe to do so.

Additionally, to ensure that providers are able to continue to deliver quality apprenticeships and maintain their income throughout the disruption, we have made significant changes to some aspects of our funding rules, offering immediate solutions to the problems being faced.

Our latest guidance on working with apprentices in the current environment is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and I will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Our ambition remains for any apprentice facing redundancy to be supported to find alternative employment and continue their apprenticeship as quickly as possible and within 12 weeks.

We fund an apprentice’s training to completion if they have 6 months or less of their apprenticeship remaining at the point at which they are made redundant.

Apprentices need to be able to apply their off-the-job training to a workplace environment, so it is important that apprentices remain in work relevant to their apprenticeship.

Substantial support for businesses, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, is intended to enable people to remain in employment and reduce redundancies.

Should COVID-19 lead to redundancies, we will endeavour to provide comprehensive, practical support to ensure that apprenticeships can continue.

Apprenticeships will play an important role in supporting economic recovery. They provide individuals with a valuable route into employment, a boost to their career, and enable employers to build the skilled workforce they need to recover and grow.

There are now over 530 high-quality, employer-designed apprenticeship standards to equip individuals with the transferable skills, knowledge and behaviours that employers want.

We are actively supporting apprentices, employers and training providers during this challenging time, and have introduced a number of flexibilities so apprentices can continue learning and complete their apprenticeships. We are promoting the remote delivery of training and assessment, and eligible furloughed employees can continue or start new apprenticeships.

We continue to work closely with employers, providers and apprentices to ensure high-quality apprenticeships support businesses to recover and thrive by equipping them with the skills they need for the future.

On the Augar recommendations, I believe that the timetable is for later on this year, in the autumn, with the spending review. However, it is correct that we need to challenge those stereotypes from a young age, which is why we have given £2 million to go down even to primary school level to undo those stereotypes. The noble Lord is correct, but we also

need to undo the stereotypes and encourage men to go into sectors such as education that are overrepresented by women. We have also been funding the Fatherhood Institute to ensure that that happens. Further, we have trained teachers through the ASK project so that those who do not have experience of apprenticeships can promote them to their students.

Yes, I have heard about that scheme, and as the noble Lord has raised the issue I will certainly do what he has asked and take it back to the Skills Minister.

The noble Lord is right that schools are still not engaging enough to encourage apprenticeships. I accept that as fair criticism, but we are improving. We have just had the Youth Voice Census back for 2019, which shows that the percentage of children learning about apprenticeships has gone up. For example, specifically for engagement at FE level, “meaningful encounters” with sixth-form colleges have gone up from 52% to 60% and with FE colleges from 52% to 58%, and independent training provider engagement has risen from 29% to 34%. The work is ongoing.

The departmental budget for spending on further education and apprenticeships in England from 2015-16 to 2019-20 was set initially in the 2015 Spending Review. Skills is a devolved matter and the funding for the devolved nations for the current spending review period was set at the same time. As with other areas of departmental spending, further education funding from 2020 onwards will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.

The department has protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until the end of the current spending review period in 2020. The department has been allocated £1.5 billion for the adult education budget for each year of the 2015 Spending Review period up to 2020, to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need up to level 3 to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.

Since 2016, the department has made over £330 million available to support major college restructuring, supporting significant improvements to financial sustainability in the sector. The department is currently considering the final applications for the restructuring facility and expect the final figure to rise significantly before the programme ends next year.

The department is actively exploring the funding and resilience of further education and will be assessing how far existing and forecast funding and regulatory structures enable high quality provision. This work will align closely with the Post-18 Review in particular, to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.

By 2019-20, the funding available for apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion, including the additional £115 million confirmed at Budget 2018. Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led and employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer and at what level, how many and when. Further, levy paying employers have two years to spend the funds available to them in their apprenticeship service accounts.

The department will publish details on further education and apprenticeship spending in our annual report and accounts as part of our normal financial reporting cycle. The department published 2017-18 spending in July and the annual report and accounts can be found on GOV.UK.

I have already said that we need to do more for the creative sector and that it is an unusual case. That is why, as part of the creative industries sector deal announced on 28 March 2018, there are shared commitments laid out by the Government and industries to address the current and future skills needs in the creative industries. That includes working with employers to monitor the impact of the levy, and to continue to analyse apprenticeship starts. It also includes funding to support the development of priority apprenticeship standards.

At the end of March 2018, 2.9 per cent of the department’s workforce were undertaking an apprenticeship.

The Civil Service has pledged to deliver 2.3 per cent of the workforce in England as apprenticeship starts annually. The department met its target in 2017/18.

Figures on the number of public sector apprenticeships are not yet available.

Public sector bodies in scope of the public sector apprenticeships target are required annually to publish and send to the Department for Education their progress towards the target. The first reports (covering the period 2017/18) will be due by 30 September 2018.