Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Apprenticeship Funding

Monday 28 April 2025 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Robin Swann questioned the Minister about enabling Northern Irish employers to receive direct benefits from the apprenticeship levy.
  • Antonia Bance inquired about increasing the uptake of manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships in her constituency and across the country.
  • Neil O'Brien raised concerns from the British Chambers of Commerce regarding the lack of clarity around the future of the apprenticeship levy and its impact on businesses.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Robin Swann Ulster Unionist Party South Antrim
Education Northern Ireland
Context

Employers in Northern Ireland pay significantly into the apprenticeship levy but do not have direct access to it. Apprenticeship funding is a devolved matter.

Question

As the Minister will know, employers in Northern Ireland pay substantially into the apprenticeship levy but have no direct access to it. What steps is the Minister taking to enable them to receive direct benefits through the levy, so that we too can enjoy the benefits of which she spoke in her answer when she was having a dig at the Conservative party?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)

As I am sure the hon. Member knows, skills are a devolved matter, and funding in the devolved Administrations remains the responsibility of those Governments. However, we will continue to engage with them as we deliver the levy-funded growth and skills offer for England.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address steps specifically for Northern Ireland employers to benefit directly from the levy.

How: Deflection

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Q2 Antonia Bance Lab Tipton and Wednesbury
Education Employment Business & Trade
Context

The constituency of Tipton, Wednesbury, and Coseley is a proud manufacturing area and the birthplace of the industrial revolution. There has been a decline in apprenticeship starts by young people.

Question

My constituency of Tipton, Wednesbury and Coseley, in the Black Country, is a proud manufacturing area and the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Will the Minister please tell me what she is doing to increase the uptake of manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships across the country and in the west midlands?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)

Too many young people have been locked out of accessing apprenticeship opportunities, and apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by almost 40% between 2015-16 and 2023-24 under the previous Government. We are developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures for manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships.

How: Deflection

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Q3 Neil O’Brien Con Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
Education Employment Business & Trade
Context

The British Chambers of Commerce has expressed uncertainty about the future direction of the apprenticeship levy. There are concerns about cuts to higher apprenticeships.

Question

The British Chambers of Commerce has said that the lack of clarity around the future of the apprenticeship levy is creating uncertainty among businesses, and is “worrying and destabilising”. Employers in universities are worried about plans to cut higher apprenticeships, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants has said that plans to axe level 7 apprenticeships will lead to work leaving the UK altogether. Will Ministers agree to the proposal from the Campaign for Learning for a skills immigration worker test to be carried out before any cuts are made to level 7 apprenticeships, so that we do not go from simply investing in British workers to just importing workers from other countries?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)

We are very excited about what this Government are achieving for young people in our apprenticeship schemes. There are, of course, tough choices to take on how funding should be prioritised to generate opportunities for young people so that they can make a good start in fulfilling careers going forward. The Department has received a wide range of representations regarding level 7 apprenticeships, and we will communicate our decision going forward. We are absolutely committed to making sure that people are on the right apprenticeship courses and that we have a wide range of apprenticeships available.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to conducting a skills immigration worker test before cutting level 7 apprenticeships.

How: Deflection

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