Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Local Business Needs: Skills Development

Monday 12 June 2023 · 6 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 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Local skills improvement plans will be rolled out from summer 2023 to meet local business needs.
  • Collaboration with colleges, employers, and chambers of commerce will support sectors like hospitality, tourism, and coastal conservation.
  • The Secretary of State committed to reviewing decisions on T-levels in the hospitality and catering sector.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James Duddridge Con
Education Employment Local Government
Context

The MP is concerned about the need for local skills improvement to meet business needs.

Question

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the development of skills in communities that meet local business needs. The MP notes the importance of ensuring people get the right skills to secure good jobs locally.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

I am delighted that we will be rolling out the local skills improvement plans from this summer. The LSIPs will put local employers at the heart of developing skills provision to meet the needs of their businesses, ensuring that people get the right skills to get good local jobs. In my own Chichester constituency, the Sussex LSIP is working to meet the needs of many sectors.

Answered
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Q2 Damien Moore Con
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The MP is concerned about the unique seaside heritage of Southport and its need for sector-specific skills development.

Question

Can my right hon. Friend elaborate on how those steps will specifically support skills in the sectors of hospitality, tourism and coastal conservation? The MP mentions the importance of these industries to the local economy.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

I know my hon. Friend is doing a lot to support businesses in our great seaside towns. We are increasing collaboration with colleges, employers and the chamber of commerce. The plan has been informed by hundreds of local businesses such as Lattimer, Access Point, EFT Construction, Bulldog Products and Stormspell.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific support for hospitality, tourism and coastal conservation not detailed

How: Collaboration With Colleges And Employers

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Q3 James Duddridge Con
Education Employment Business & Trade
Context

The MP is advocating for a funding bid to support the local economy through skill development.

Question

Denise Rossiter, CEO of Essex chambers of commerce, is working with Adventure Island and other businesses on a local skills improvement plan. Will the Secretary of State support the funding bid for this work in Southend? The MP invites her to visit Adventure Island.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

That sounds like too good an invitation to miss. I thank my hon. Friend for being such a champion for skills development in Rochford and Southend East. Many local employers, including Essex & Suffolk Water, Rose Builders, Ground Control, DP World London Gateway, Adventure Island and Constellation Marketing, are working with the Essex chambers of commerce and South Essex College to steer the LSIP.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific funding commitment not made

How: Inviting To Visit, Collaboration Details

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Q4 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Education Employment
Context

The MP highlights a significant decline in adult learning, apprenticeship starts, and part-time undergraduate student numbers since 2010.

Question

What is the Secretary of State doing to reverse the decade of decline in skills and training opportunities that has impoverished Britain? The MP notes that almost 4 million fewer adults have taken part in learning since 2010 and there are 200,000 fewer apprenticeship starts over the last decade.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

What I am doing is ensuring that the quality is better. We have worked with 5,000 employers to build the apprenticeship standards. We have had 5.4 million apprenticeship starts since 2010, and all of them are of a high quality.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to reverse decline not detailed

How: Quality Focus

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Q5 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is concerned about the staffing crisis in the hospitality industry, which accounts for a significant portion of Cumbria's economy.

Question

The hospitality and tourism industry is worth £3.5 billion to the Cumbrian economy annually but is suffering from a staffing crisis. Will the Secretary of State rethink her decision on kicking the catering T-level into the long grass? The MP suggests that this qualification could help address youth recruitment issues in the sector.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that hospitality and catering are vital industries. We have full-time courses at various levels and lots of apprenticeships as well. We will bring forward and look at T-levels and potentially management in the sector.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific reconsideration not promised

How: Agreement With Industry Importance, Current Offerings

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Q6 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Education Employment
Context

The MP is advocating for Labour's plan to devolve adult education budgets and make the apprenticeship levy more flexible.

Question

Why is she so determined to stand against what employers say they want, and to hold learners, employers and our economy back? The Secretary of State says that she is listening to businesses, but if she were, she would hear that Labour's plan has won widespread support from the business community.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

That is a good question. The hon. Gentleman is right that employers have often asked for flexibility in the levy, but the problem with their calculations is that we are spending 99.6% of the levy on apprentices. Their policy is based on levy payer spend, not budget.

Not addressed: Question about opposition to Labour's plan directly avoided

How: Explaining Discrepancy In Calculations

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