Workforce Skills 2025-10-27
2025-10-27
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Following a roundtable meeting in her constituency, Claire Young heard from small businesses about the challenges they face in delivering apprenticeships.
At a recent roundtable meeting in my Thornbury and Yate constituency, small businesses told me about the particular challenges they face in delivering apprenticeships. Given that the Secretary of State’s Department is now responsible for this important policy area, what is he doing to reform apprenticeships to make them easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to deliver, and what support will he provide so that more can do so?
We want apprenticeships to be available to employers of all sizes. We have reduced the length of time an apprenticeship needs to take, and I think we can go further with short course flexibility, which should be particularly helpful to small and medium-sized employers.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not specify additional support beyond mentioning short course flexibility.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Jessica Morden visited Premier Forest Products in Newport to learn about vocational training opportunities offered to care-experienced school leavers.
I recently visited Premier Forest Products in Newport to learn more about the vocational training and employment opportunities that the business is offering to care-experienced young school leavers in Newport, with some wonderful success stories. Will the Department look at the model that company is creating and can the Secretary of State say more about how the Government are working with businesses to make sure that such opportunities are more accessible for people from all backgrounds, including those who are care-experienced?
I am happy to look at the experience of that particular employer. I enjoyed a recent visit to a different part of south Wales to open an opportunity hub, which is aimed precisely at getting more young people into work, particularly those who have been out of the labour market through long-term sickness issues. We want to support Wales in doing that, and we have allocated an extra £10 million to this work over the coming year.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not explicitly address Premier Forest Products' model or its relevance for care-experienced young people.
Response accuracy