Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Post-16 Education: Skills Needed in the Economy

Monday 27 October 2025 · 4 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Baggy Shanker discussed the importance of university technical colleges for unlocking success in apprenticeships.
  • Helen Hayes raised concerns about the lack of information on vocational and technical training opportunities available to young people.
  • Damian Hinds expressed worries about the loss of independence and business voice in the new regime for Skills England.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Baggy Shanker Labour (Co-op) Derby South
Education
Context

The MP wants to ensure that technical education is seen as a first-class route to success for young people in Derby, highlighting the importance of University Technical Colleges.

Question

I still want every young person in Derby to see technical education and apprenticeships as first-class, not second-best, routes to success. University technical colleges, from which students are four times more likely to progress on to apprenticeships, are key to unlocking that success. Will my right hon. Friend meet Pride Park UTC to discuss its plans to give young people in Derby real choice and real opportunity by rolling out a new technical centre in our city?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)

My hon. Friend has spoken often about this, and I believe that he started his career as an apprentice. As a former Rolls-Royce worker, he will have noted the skills White Paper, and of course he knows all about the importance of that company to the city of Derby. I congratulate Pride Park UTC on its plans for a new technical skills centre, and I will ensure that he gets a meeting with me or with the relevant Minister.

Answered
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Q2 Helen Hayes Lab Dulwich and West Norwood
Education
Context

The MP references the Committee's report on further education and skills, which highlights the poor availability of information on vocational and technical training opportunities.

Question

My Committee’s recent report on further education and skills highlights the poor amount of information on vocational and technical training opportunities, including apprenticeships, available to young people while they are in school. We recommend that UCAS be expanded to provide a single portal for information on academic, vocational and technical opportunities, so that every young person is aware of how they can train in the skills that they need to access a good job. Will the Secretary of State consider this recommendation, and work with the Department for Education to deliver it?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)

I welcome that question, as my hon. Friend raises a very important point. If we are going to have equal status for higher education and apprenticeship routes, we should look at how the information about them is disseminated to potential applicants. I hope that she will be pleased to hear that I have already asked the Department to begin work in this area.

Partly answered

How: Has Begun Looking Into It, No Specific Timeline Or Action

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Q3 Damian Hinds Con East Hampshire
Employment
Context

The MP raises concerns about the loss of independence and business voice under the new Skills England system, previously guaranteed by law.

Question

One of the worries about the new regime and Skills England is the loss of independence, and the loss of what we had in the former Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education: a guaranteed business voice, written into law. How will the Secretary of State ensure that business has a voice in setting standards, and in making sure that those standards are upheld, so that everybody can have confidence in the changed system?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)

The right hon. Gentleman is right to say that the business voice and employers’ voice is very important in this. When I wrote the new remit letter to Skills England, I asked it to take into account the views of employers, because it is very important that the skills system is training people in a way that employers want, and that meets the future demands of the labour market.

Partly answered

How: Has Taken Steps To Involve Businesses

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Q4 Ashley Fox Con Bridgwater
Education Employment
Context

The MP inquires about the potential negative effects of reduced funding for higher-level apprenticeships on nursing training.

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State to his place, and to his new responsibility for skills. The Government recently reduced the amount of funding for level 7 apprenticeships, so can he tell the House what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this reduced funding on the number of nurses in training?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)

The apprenticeships and skills budget, like every other budget, demands choices. We are choosing to prioritise the level that we need in the economy, and the areas where the value is greatest. That does imply certain choices, and I am confident that the choices we have made will benefit the workforce as a whole, and future opportunities.

Partly answered

How: Has Prioritised Other Levels Of Apprenticeships

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