Apprenticeship Levy Trends 2024-03-11
2024-03-11
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows concerns over the decline in apprenticeship starts, particularly at level 2 and 3, since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.
What assessment she has made of trends in the number of level 2 and 3 apprenticeship starts since the apprenticeship levy was introduced?
Sixty-five per cent of all apprenticeship starts so far this year have been at levels 2 and 3, with level 3 remaining the most popular level, accounting for 43% of all starts. Over 360 apprenticeship standards are at levels 2 and 3, covering more than half of all apprenticeships.
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Assessment & feedback
The decline in level 2 apprenticeship starts was not addressed specifically.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Following concerns over the decline in apprenticeships, particularly at level 2 since 2012-13 and with small and medium-sized enterprises, the questioner challenges the minister to explain why young people are now half as likely to be on an SME apprenticeship than when the levy was introduced.
I can understand why the Minister does not refer to the trends, because he knows that level 2 apprenticeships are way down. The Government's reforms have seen level 2 apprenticeship starts fall by two thirds since 2012-13, and the number of people employed on an apprenticeship with a small and medium-sized enterprise has fallen by 49% since the levy's introduction. Why does he think that young people are now half as likely to be on an SME apprenticeship than they were when the levy was introduced?
I hugely respect the hon. Gentleman. I know he is a bruiser, but I had been looking forward to his question. I thought he would celebrate the 13,000 apprentices in Chesterfield since May 2010, the 11,270 apprentices at levels 2 and 3, or the £19.5 million investment in Chesterfield College.
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Assessment & feedback
The minister did not address the decline in SME apprenticeships.
Changed Subject To Positive Statistics Unrelated To The Question.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
Concerns over the reduction of opportunities for young people to enter apprenticeships, especially at age 16-18 and those from poorer backgrounds, are highlighted. The questioner references research showing a significant drop in apprenticeship starts by those from less privileged backgrounds since the levy was introduced.
It is not just that level 2 and 3 apprenticeship starts have plummeted by over 50% since the levy was introduced, but that 16 to 18-year-old apprenticeship starts are down by 41%. Research by the Sutton Trust and the London School of Economics further shows that, by 2020, the proportion of apprenticeship starts by those from poorer backgrounds had dropped significantly. Is it not now painfully clear that the biggest barrier to opportunity is this Tory Government?
As always, Labour Front Benchers are obsessed with quantity over quality. We have transformed the quality of apprenticeships. Seventy per cent of occupations are covered by over 680 apprenticeship standards. There has been a 6% increase since this time last year in the number of under-19 starts, and overall starts are up by 3% over the same period.
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Assessment & feedback
The questioner's concern about barriers to opportunity was not directly addressed.
Focused On Quality Improvements Rather Than Addressing Quantity Decline.
Response accuracy