The government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

We are transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and give employers, including in the construction sector, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need to grow and succeed.

Construction is one of the key sectors benefitting from new foundation apprenticeships with three standards, including onsite trades, launched in August 2025. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with up to £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry.

Additionally, around 5,000 more construction apprenticeship places will be made available per financial year by 2027-28 thanks to a £140 million industry investment and the creation of 32 pioneering new homebuilding skills hubs.

To support smaller employers in the construction sector recruit the next generation of talent, we are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) when they take on eligible 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The government will also fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers for all eligible young people aged under 25 from August 2026. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 32067 on 3 March 2025.

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

The rate of young people’s apprenticeship starts has fallen over the last decade and we want to re-balance the programme towards young people beginning their careers.

As a first step, the department has introduced new foundation apprenticeships, an employment-based training offer that gives young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

The first seven foundation apprenticeships became available in August 2025, including a foundation apprenticeship in onsite trades which supports the development of onsite construction skills, including carpentry and joinery.

These foundation apprenticeships will be underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. This is in addition to the existing employer and provider payments for taking on younger apprentices.

Employers in the construction sector, including small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can access a wide range of government-funded training programmes including T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, Higher Technical Qualifications and apprenticeships. Employers have developed apprenticeship standards in both carpentry and joinery and craft carpentry and joinery to help meet the needs of the woodwork and joinery sector.

The department is promoting apprenticeships and training opportunities to students in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme as part of the Skills for Life campaign.

To support non-levy paying employers, which are likely to be SMEs, to access apprenticeships, the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, or have been in local authority care. Employers of all sizes can also benefit from £1000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.

Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for apprentices aged up to 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, or £50,270 a year.

The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps across all sectors and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs. This will include advising on priorities for the new growth and skills offer, which will create opportunities for learners of all ages, give employers of different sizes greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages, and help drive economic growth. Skills England engaged with over 700 stakeholders over the autumn regarding the growth and skills offer and has shared their findings with the department.

The growth and skills offer will include new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months from August 2025, down from the current minimum of 12 months. The department will ensure that the needs of smaller employers are considered as it develops the growth and skills offer.

Employers in the construction sector, including small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can access a wide range of government-funded training programmes including T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, Higher Technical Qualifications and apprenticeships. Employers have developed apprenticeship standards in both carpentry and joinery and craft carpentry and joinery to help meet the needs of the woodwork and joinery sector.

The department is promoting apprenticeships and training opportunities to students in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme as part of the Skills for Life campaign.

To support non-levy paying employers, which are likely to be SMEs, to access apprenticeships, the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, or have been in local authority care. Employers of all sizes can also benefit from £1000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.

Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for apprentices aged up to 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, or £50,270 a year.

The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps across all sectors and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs. This will include advising on priorities for the new growth and skills offer, which will create opportunities for learners of all ages, give employers of different sizes greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages, and help drive economic growth. Skills England engaged with over 700 stakeholders over the autumn regarding the growth and skills offer and has shared their findings with the department.

The growth and skills offer will include new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months from August 2025, down from the current minimum of 12 months. The department will ensure that the needs of smaller employers are considered as it develops the growth and skills offer.

Trades and professions in construction are skilled roles. New entrants to construction can join the industry through an apprenticeship, T-levels and further and higher education qualifications.

This Department works jointly with the Department for Education and the construction industry through the Construction Skills Delivery Group to promote opportunities and all skills routes for the new generation of construction workers, and for ongoing career progression, to support all construction roles.

Given the wider economic impact of the global pandemic and the number of UK based workers facing uncertainty about their employment or the need to find a new job at this time, the Government believes it is right our global points-based systems encourages employers to look to domestic recruitment and skills training in the first instance, rather than immigration,

In March 2020, the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the composition of the Shortage Occupation Lists (SOL) in light of the expanded skills threshold of the new Skilled Worker route, which came into effect on 1 December.

The MAC published its findings and recommendations on 29 September. The Government welcomed the MAC’s comprehensive advice, which included a recommendation to add bricklayers and masons; however, we do not consider changes to the immigration rules or the SOLs should be made at this time, before assessing how the UK labour market develops post-Covid 19 and in response to the introduction of the new Points-Based Immigration System. Immigration policy should be considered alongside the strategies for the UK Labour Market not in isolation to them.

As published on 22 October, the Immigration Rules for the new Points-Based Immigration System include an Appendix Shortage Occupation Lists. This replaces the existing lists under Appendix K. The contents are the same.

We have introduced a wide range of reforms to improve the quality of apprenticeships and to encourage employers, of all sizes and in all sectors, across England to create more high-quality apprenticeship opportunities.

New high-quality apprenticeship standards, designed and driven by industry, are providing employers with the skills they need. Over 530 standards have been approved for delivery to apprentices. From August 2020 all starts will be on these employer-designed standards.

Employers in the woodwork and joinery sector have developed two standards available for delivery – one at level 2 and one at level 3. The sector can also benefit from the 76 new apprenticeship standards in construction-related roles that have been approved for delivery by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. This exceeds the target of 50 set in the 2018 Construction Sector Deal. A further 22 are in development.

We continue to encourage the take up of our apprenticeship programme across all sectors, including in construction. The third phase of the Fire it Up campaign launched in January, targeting audience groups that contribute to widening participation in apprenticeships.

To ensure that young people hear about all the education and employment options available to them, in January 2018 we introduced a legal requirement for schools to give training providers the chance to talk to pupils about technical qualifications and apprenticeships. We offer a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) project to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students. In the last academic year, ASK reached over 300,000 students.

Representatives from the National Apprenticeship Service also attended 30 UCAS exhibitions in 2019, engaging with around 10,000 young people, their parents and careers advisers. This work will continue during 2020 alongside our wider communications and marketing activity to raise the profile of apprenticeships.

New high-quality apprenticeships standards, designed and driven by industry, are providing employers with the skills they need. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is responsible for working with employer trailblazer groups to design and approve these standards. The standards describe full occupational competence, as agreed by employers, and must include a rigorous and independent end-point assessment.

Over 530 standards have been approved for delivery to apprentices. From August 2020 all starts will be on these employer-designed standards. Employers in the woodwork and joinery sector have developed two standards available for delivery – Carpentry/Joinery and Advanced Carpentry/Joinery. The sector can also benefit from the 76 standards in construction-related roles.

We support employers via the National Apprenticeship Service, offering free impartial, expert advice to employers in every sector. To support SMEs in sectors such as joinery and woodwork to use these standards to address their skills needs, we have begun to move smaller employers onto our apprenticeship service, giving them a greater choice of training providers. Smaller employers, such as those in supply chains, can also benefit from transferred funds from levy payers. This year, 2019-20 funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion; double what was spent in 2010.

This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. I have asked its Chief Executive, Jennifer Coupland, to write to the noble Lady and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The government approves a number of qualifications for funding, across a range of subjects and levels, which providers, including further education (FE) colleges, can offer to their students. Qualifications are approved for funding in line with the government’s funding conditions and in response to student, employer and local skills needs. We expect those qualifications approved for government funding to be delivered in line with guidance set out by the awarding organisation offering the qualification, and all government funded provision is subject to inspection by Ofsted.

The government is conducting a review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below to ensure that there is a simpler, clearer qualifications offer in which all qualifications are high quality, have a clear purpose and support students to progress to positive outcomes. The government will be publishing the next stage of the consultation on this review later in the year.

We continue to engage with stakeholders, including FE providers and their representatives, on matters relating to technical education.

The apprenticeship levy is collected by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs from all UK employers with a pay bill above £3 million.

Employers in England access their levy funding through their apprenticeship service accounts. The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to document their industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account. For this reason, we are unable to provide data which shows the amount of levy funds entering the accounts of employers in the woodworking and joinery sector, or the proportion of that total which has been spent on apprenticeships.

In 2019-20, funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England has risen to over £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11, allowing employers of all sizes, including those in the woodworking and joinery sector, to access funding for apprenticeships.

The department’s annual apprenticeships budget, which is distinct to the funds available to levy-paying employers through their apprenticeship service accounts, funds apprenticeships in England for both levy payers and Small and Medium Enterprises. This means that levy payers’ unspent funds are not lost but are used to support apprenticeships in smaller employers.

We are also supporting smaller employers who do not pay the levy by moving them onto our digital apprenticeship service, giving them a greater choice of training providers and more control over their apprenticeships. In addition, smaller employers can benefit from transferred funds from levy payers, supporting new starts in supply chains and addressing sector skills shortages and local skills needs.

Over the course of this parliament, the government will provide an extra £3 billion for a new National Skills Fund. The Fund is part of a dramatic rebooting of our skills system and will help workers to have the skills they need to flourish and fulfil their potential.

To decide how best to develop the National Skills Fund, the government are planning to consult widely on the Fund, to ensure the Fund provides the best return on investment.

The insights gained will help to build an understanding how to target the National Skills Fund to ensure it best supports people to learn new skills and prepare for future changes to the economy.

Over the course of this parliament, the government will provide an extra £3 billion for a new National Skills Fund. The Fund is part of a dramatic rebooting of our skills system and will help workers to have the skills they need to flourish and fulfil their potential.

To decide how best to develop the National Skills Fund, the government are planning to consult widely on the Fund, to ensure the Fund provides the best return on investment.

The insights gained will help to build an understanding how to target the National Skills Fund to ensure it best supports people to learn new skills and prepare for future changes to the economy.

The Government is committed to ensuring that industrial sectors maintain their competitiveness during the transition to a low-carbon economy, and continue to invest and provide employment

in the UK. We have recognised the additional costs that climate and energy policies can place on energy-intensive industries, including the wood panelling sector, and announced a range of new measures in Budget 2014 to radically reduce these costs, in addition to the compensation measures already in place.