Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Skills and Apprenticeships: Funding

Monday 17 July 2023 · 8 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government is investing 3.8 billion in skills funding over the Parliament.
  • Removed limit on number of apprentices small businesses can take on.
  • Met with Becky Smith, a degree apprentice from UTC Portsmouth.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Royston Smith Con
Education Employment
Context

The MP inquired about the Department's efforts to secure funding for skills development and apprenticeship programs.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to fund skills and apprenticeships?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

This Government are investing record levels of funding with an additional £3.8 billion in skills over this Parliament. That includes an extra £1.6 billion for 16-to-19 education, and increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024-25.

Answered
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Q2 Siobhan Baillie
Business & Trade
Context

The MP asked about reforms to the apprenticeship levy to better support small businesses and students.

Question

What is my right hon. Friend doing to reform the existing apprenticeship levy to work better for small businesses and students?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We removed the limit on the number of apprentices that small businesses can take on, we continue to pay 100% of training costs for the smallest employers, and allow levy payers to transfer 25% of their funds to support SMEs. We spent 99.6% of the apprenticeship budget in 2021-22.

Answered
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Q3 Sara Britcliffe
Education
Context

The MP inquired about further capital investment for the T-level programme at Accrington and Rossendale College.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend confirm whether there will be further waves of the T-level capital fund?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

Nelson & Colne College group, which includes Accrington and Rossendale College in my hon. Friend's constituency, has benefited from capital investment of more than £6 million since 2010, including funding to improve the condition of its estate and support the delivery of T-levels.

Answered
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Q4 Royston Smith Con
Education
Context

The MP asked about the status of a bid for a University Technical College (UTC) in Southampton.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that she has seen our bid and will look favourably on it?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

I recently met Becky Smith, a former student of UTC Portsmouth, who is now a degree apprentice studying mechanical engineering at the University of Chichester in my constituency. We are currently considering the applications we have received.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The status and favourability of Southampton's bid was not directly confirmed.

How: We Are Currently Considering

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

The MP raised concerns about the delay in introducing a T-level catering course, vital for hospitality jobs.

Question

Will the Secretary of State meet me and representatives from Cumbria Tourism to discuss changing this policy?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, but as he will know, I always have a laser-like focus on quality and ensure that we get the quality system that businesses demand.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The meeting request was acknowledged without confirming any policy change.

How: Always Have A Laser-Like Focus On Quality

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Q6 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education
Context

The MP suggested the importance of integrating universities with further education colleges to enhance apprenticeship opportunities.

Question

Will she take a leaf out of Tony Blair's book, when he said in a recent important speech that what we need is more high-class universities and more polytechnics made up from the new former FE colleges?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We have already invested in 21 institutes of technology, which are where a group of colleges and universities work with employers in the area. They are a great addition to the landscape along with all the other technical qualifications and skills training.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The integration approach was not directly aligned with Tony Blair's suggestion.

How: We Are Ahead Of The Opposition

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Q7 Margaret Ferrier SNP
Education Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from the funding provided for space systems engineering degree apprenticeships in the UK's growing space industry.

Question

I welcome the funding made available to the space systems engineering degree apprenticeship and the opportunities that will provide young people in the UK's growing space industry. What plans do Ministers have to fund similar apprenticeships in other emerging sectors?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

It was a great pleasure to go to the space park in Leicester to launch the space systems engineering level 6 degree apprenticeship, on top of the level 4 space engineering apprenticeship. Any employers or employer groups wishing to develop an apprenticeship standard could work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. We have worked with more than 5,000 employers in the past few years, and we have built more than 670 apprenticeship standards.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific plans to fund similar apprenticeships in other emerging sectors.

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Q8 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Business & Trade
Context

Research from the House of Commons Library shows that the amount of the apprenticeship levy paid by employers allocated to the apprenticeship budget has fallen.

Question

New research from the House of Commons Library has shown that the amount of the apprenticeship levy paid by employers that has been allocated to the apprenticeship budget has fallen from 89% in 2017 to just 77% in the most recent year. The truthful answer to the question from the hon. Member for Stroud is that the Secretary of State is doing nothing to reform the apprenticeship levy, as she believes it is working perfectly. Can the Minister confirm that any employer that wants greater flexibility in the levy should vote Labour in the next general election?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

There is nothing that would make me give such drastic advice. The truth about the apprenticeship levy is that 99.6% of it will be spent this year. We can look in the rear view mirror, and there are some reports going back over time that show some underspend in the levy, but they are back over time. Some of the funding goes to the devolved Governments.

Not addressed: The Minister avoided confirming whether employers seeking greater flexibility with the levy should vote Labour and instead discussed the current spending rate of the apprenticeship levy.

How: Changed Subject, Discussed Unrelated Topic

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