Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

High-quality Apprenticeships: Access

Monday 17 April 2023 · 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

  • The Department is improving the quality of apprenticeships and supporting more apprentices to complete their programmes.
  • The Department has moved from frameworks to standards and is reregistering apprenticeship providers.
  • A 50% rule supports apprenticeship training for those working across different UK nations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rob Roberts
Education Employment
Context

The Department is asked what steps it is taking to improve the quality and accessibility of apprenticeship programmes.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to high-quality apprenticeships?

Answer from Robert Halfon

We are improving quality and supporting more apprentices to successfully complete their programmes. We have moved from frameworks to standards, we have asked all apprenticeship providers to reregister on the register of apprenticeship training providers, Ofsted will inspect all providers by 2025 and we have provided £7.5 million for a provider workforce development programme.

Answered
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Q2 Rob Roberts
Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Context

A constituent's daughter has started a level 3 veterinary nursing qualification in north Wales, but due to the training provider being based in England and her practical learning time spent primarily in Wales, she is ineligible for either English or Welsh government apprenticeship funding.

Question

Can my right hon. Friend tell me why it is so difficult for the UK and Welsh Governments to work together on such things, so that people such as my constituent do not fall through the cracks?

Answer from Robert Halfon

My hon. Friend has been a battler for his constituent and has written to me about this case. A 50% rule has been developed to support apprenticeship training for those who spend some of their time working in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. That rule is maintained, but I will continue to support cross-Government collaboration to see if these problems can be sorted out and I am happy to write to the Welsh Government about his constituent's case.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for resolving the funding issue was not fully addressed with a concrete commitment or timeline. The response acknowledged the issue but did not provide a clear solution.

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