Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Workforce Skills

Monday 27 October 2025 · 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 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Claire Young inquired about challenges small businesses face in delivering apprenticeships and sought reforms to support them.
  • Jessica Morden highlighted Premier Forest Products' success in offering vocational training to care-experienced young people in Newport.
  • The Secretary of State expressed interest in examining models like Premier Forest Products and mentioned opening an opportunity hub in south Wales.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Claire Young Lib Dem Thornbury and Yate
Business & Trade
Context

Following a roundtable meeting in her constituency, Claire Young heard from small businesses about the challenges they face in delivering apprenticeships.

Question

At a recent roundtable meeting in my Thornbury and Yate constituency, small businesses told me about the particular challenges they face in delivering apprenticeships. Given that the Secretary of State’s Department is now responsible for this important policy area, what is he doing to reform apprenticeships to make them easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to deliver, and what support will he provide so that more can do so?

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

We want apprenticeships to be available to employers of all sizes. We have reduced the length of time an apprenticeship needs to take, and I think we can go further with short course flexibility, which should be particularly helpful to small and medium-sized employers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify additional support beyond mentioning short course flexibility.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Jessica Morden Lab Newport East
Education Employment Women & Equalities
Context

Jessica Morden visited Premier Forest Products in Newport to learn about vocational training opportunities offered to care-experienced school leavers.

Question

I recently visited Premier Forest Products in Newport to learn more about the vocational training and employment opportunities that the business is offering to care-experienced young school leavers in Newport, with some wonderful success stories. Will the Department look at the model that company is creating and can the Secretary of State say more about how the Government are working with businesses to make sure that such opportunities are more accessible for people from all backgrounds, including those who are care-experienced?

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

I am happy to look at the experience of that particular employer. I enjoyed a recent visit to a different part of south Wales to open an opportunity hub, which is aimed precisely at getting more young people into work, particularly those who have been out of the labour market through long-term sickness issues. We want to support Wales in doing that, and we have allocated an extra £10 million to this work over the coming year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly address Premier Forest Products' model or its relevance for care-experienced young people.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)