Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Apprenticeships

Monday 27 April 2026 · 9 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister announced fully funding youth apprenticeships for small businesses.
  • Introduced a 2,000 hiring incentive for non-levy-paying employers.
  • Expanding foundation apprenticeships in hospitality and retail sectors.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James Asser Lab West Ham and Beckton
Employment
Context

The number of youth apprenticeship starts has fallen by 40% over the past decade, prompting concerns about young people's opportunities.

Question

What steps he is taking to help increase the number of apprenticeships available to young people. The number of youth apprenticeship starts has fallen by 40% over the past decade.

Answer from Pat McFadden

Because we want to give more young people the chance of apprenticeships, we are fully funding youth apprenticeships for small businesses, introducing a £2,000 hiring incentive for non-levy-paying employers, and expanding foundation apprenticeships in hospitality and retail. All that is aimed at more opportunity and more work for young people.

Answered
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Q2 James Asser Lab West Ham and Beckton
Education Employment
Context

The local university in James Asser's constituency reports that while private and grammar schools are doing good work to promote apprenticeships, the state sector is not reflecting this progress.

Question

I very much welcome the work being done to prioritise and expand apprenticeships, but all too often their image is dated and the modern situation is not fully understood. While my local university tells me that good work on promoting apprenticeships is being done in private and grammar schools, that is not always reflected across the wider state sector. Will the Government consider how we might tackle the issue, working with apprenticeship bodies, industry organisations and the unions, to ensure that modern apprenticeships are fully known about and the opportunities they provide are fully understood?

Answer from Pat McFadden

My hon. Friend is right to say that promoting apprenticeships must start in schools. Our brilliant apprenticeship ambassador network brings together about 3,000 employers and apprentices, who go into schools and colleges and share stories about how apprenticeships can transform young lives. Those ambassadors have now reached 97% of the state-funded secondary schools and colleges in England—nearly 3,500 in the past three years—but, for the reasons that my hon. Friend has given, we have got to do more work to make information about apprenticeships as clear and easy to use as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The government's response did not directly address the specific ask of working with various stakeholders such as industry organisations and unions to improve awareness in state schools. It only mentioned existing efforts without additional commitments.

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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Business & Trade Benefits & Welfare
Context

A local business in Greg Smith's constituency, Twentyfour Hair, for the first time in 21 years cannot afford to take on a new apprentice due to high taxes. This situation reflects many businesses across his constituency.

Question

I raised with the Prime Minister at PMQs a couple of weeks ago the case of Twentyfour Hair, a salon in Princes Risborough in my constituency, which for the first time in 21 years cannot afford to take on a new apprentice. That message is echoed by businesses across my constituency. In order to improve uptake in new apprenticeship starts, which I entirely support, what steps is the Secretary of State taking with the Chancellor to get rid of this punitive level of business taxation, which is preventing businesses from taking them on?

Answer from Pat McFadden

I referred in my previous answer to the step I am taking, which is to put in place a £2,000 hiring incentive for small businesses taking up a new apprentice. If it is someone who has been unemployed and on universal credit for six months, there is the potential for an additional £3,000 hiring incentive on top of the £2,000. We want to incentivise small businesses to take on apprentices, for reasons that I think are shared right across the House and because of the great opportunities that they entail.

Answered
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Q4 Amanda Martin Lab Portsmouth North
Education Employment Business & Trade
Context

Launched a space apprenticeship pilot in Portsmouth, involving Airbus and local organisations. This follows previous government failures to deliver high-value opportunities.

Question

This month I launched a space apprenticeship pilot in Portsmouth North, bringing together Airbus and the Solent Growth Partnership to ensure that candidates who narrowly miss out on an Airbus apprenticeship are matched directly with defence and space SMEs in the area. Following the failure of the last Government, does the Secretary of State agree that this Labour Government's reforms are finally delivering high-value opportunities in aerospace and cyber, and will he work with me to look at how we can extend this initiative across other sectors, such as maritime and construction?

Answer from Pat McFadden

May I congratulate my hon. Friend on what sounds like a fantastic initiative? She puts her finger on something very important: sometimes people who narrowly lose out on a particular apprenticeship could benefit from one elsewhere. I did refer to the work that we are doing to try to improve the information, and the initiative she has taken is a great example of what can be done. Just because people do not get their first choice should not mean that they lose out on the opportunity of an apprenticeship entirely.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to working with her to extend the initiative across other sectors as asked

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Q5 Caroline Voaden Lib Dem South Devon
Benefits & Welfare
Context

A report highlighted the apprenticeship penalty, where low-income families lose up to £330 a week in benefits when a 16-year-old takes an apprenticeship.

Question

Apprenticeships offer young people a great pathway into rewarding careers, so I very much welcome the Government's ambition to create more of them, but a report published last week by the Social Security Advisory Committee highlighted the so-called apprenticeship penalty, whereby low-income families can lose up to £330 a week in child benefit and universal credit the moment a 16-year-old takes up an apprenticeship. What is the point of creating more apprenticeships if a cliff edge like this discourages young people from taking them up? Will the Minister commit to urgently fixing this penalty, so that no family are left worse off simply because their child chooses an apprenticeship over full-time education?

Answer from Pat McFadden

I am always grateful for the work of the Social Security Advisory Committee, and I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her question, but one thing that she missed out is that apprenticeships are paid, so a young person taking up an apprenticeship opportunity will be earning money that contributes to the family's income. We have to take that into account, as well as all the other sources of the family's income.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to fixing the apprenticeship penalty

How: Missed Out, Contributes

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Q6 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Employment
Context

Many young people are unemployed, raising concerns about the effectiveness of apprenticeships in securing long-term employment.

Question

I really welcome my right hon. Friend's work in this area, given that so many young people are unemployed, but what is he doing to evaluate how many apprentices get proper, long-term, full-time jobs as a result? Clearly, that is the end goal that we all want to see.

Answer from Pat McFadden

My hon. Friend will know that when people complete an apprenticeship, their chances of employment are very high. I am pleased to report that apprenticeship achievement rates are up in the latest figures, as are the apprenticeship start numbers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures for evaluating long-term job success from apprenticeships

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Q7 Shockat Adam Ind Leicester South
Education Housing Employment
Context

Leicester college is facing a funding crisis, with young people being turned away from construction apprenticeships despite high demand in the industry. The rate of youth not in education, employment or training is nearly 6% in Leicester, five times higher than the national average.

Question

Leicester College faces a funding crisis, turning away young people wanting construction apprenticeships despite high employer and market demands. With local youth NEET rates at nearly 6%, 6%, what real-terms funding increase will you commit to for apprenticeship schemes?

Answer from Pat McFadden

We listen to requests for more funding, and last year announced a construction sector skills package aimed at training bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers. We support meeting our housing targets through this training initiative.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to a specific real-terms funding increase or additional measures for apprenticeship schemes.

How: We Listen To Requests For More Funding

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Q8 Peter Bedford Con Mid Leicestershire
Education Employment
Context

The number of young people not in education, employment or training remains high at the 1 million mark. Apprenticeships are seen as crucial for supporting youth opportunity and aspiration.

Question

With a 1 million NEET figure, apprenticeships are key to youth support. However, the Department's own apprenticeship numbers dropped from 5,000 in 2024 to 3,500 in 2025. Is this hypocrisy?

Answer from Pat McFadden

Work is key to escaping poverty and recent figures show more youth apprenticeship starts with higher achievement rates. Reforms aim at directing money where it is most needed for young people entering apprenticeships.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific drop in departmental apprenticeship numbers or acknowledge hypocrisy.

How: Addressing Broader Points But Avoiding Specifics On Department Figures

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Q9 Steve Darling Lib Dem Torbay
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

A Guardian report highlighted discrimination against young people from more deprived communities through the apprenticeship system, including a penalty for families receiving child benefit.

Question

The Guardian reported that young people from more deprived backgrounds face discrimination via the apprenticeship system, especially if their family receives child benefit. How can you support these vulnerable families?

Answer from Pat McFadden

Apprenticeships provide a paid wage and should be preferred over benefits for family income, considering the overall economic impact on the family.

Not addressed: Did not address discrimination or support measures for vulnerable families.

How: Shifted To Discussing General Economic Impacts Instead

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