Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Apprenticeships in the Armed Forces

Monday 20 September 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Robert Halfon inquired about recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education regarding apprenticeships in the armed forces.
  • The armed forces provide around 21,000 apprenticeships at any given time, covering various fields such as engineering, digital, construction, and driving.
  • The Department of the Ministry of Defence confirms its commitment to meet the public sector target of hiring 2.3% apprentices and currently exceeds this target with 7.9% of its headcount being new apprentice starts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Robert Halfon Con
Education Defence
Context

The question addresses recent discussions on increasing apprenticeship opportunities within the armed forces.

Question

What recent discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing the number of apprenticeships in the armed forces?

Answer from Leo Docherty

The armed forces are one of this country's biggest providers of apprenticeships. They have around 21,000 apprentices on programmes at any one time, ranging from engineering and digital to construction and driving, showing that if you join the armed forces, you get skills for life.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about recent discussions with the Secretary of State was not addressed. Only general information on apprenticeships was provided.

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Q2 Robert Halfon Con
Defence
Context

The question follows up on the topic of apprenticeships in the armed forces, focusing on compliance with public sector targets and the inclusion of apprentice hiring requirements in procurement contracts.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend for all the work that the Ministry of Defence is doing on apprenticeships. Can I confirm that his Department will continue to meet the public sector target of 2.3% for the hiring of apprentices? Will he also ensure that any company that gets a procurement contract with the Ministry of Defence employs a significant number of apprentices, and that otherwise it will not get the contract?

Answer from Leo Docherty

I am delighted to confirm that. Over 90% of recruits are offered an apprenticeship, and I am pleased to confirm that recent statistics show that 7.9% of our headcount are new apprentice starts, exceeding the Government public sector target of 2.3%. We have ongoing discussions with the Department for Education to increase that figure.

Answered
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