House of Commons · Westminster Hall
04 February 2025 · 24 other contributors · 13,698 words
Opened by Andrew Pakes Labour (Co-op) Peterborough
Responding minister: Janet Daby
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Andrew Pakes raised concerns about apprenticeships in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Pakes asks the Minister to remove artificial barriers such as academic English and maths requirements, advocating for business-ready functional skills instead, and to reform the apprenticeship standards to benefit both businesses and learners.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Andrew Pakes has expressed concerns over the decline in apprenticeship numbers under the previous government, highlighting the need for reform to address why 900,000 young people across the country are not in education, employment or training. He also mentioned the falling apprenticeship numbers and rising youth unemployment in Peterborough.
Advocates for degree-level apprenticeships, highlighting their unique offering and the need to support career development in small businesses.
Highlights the importance of breaking down barriers through apprenticeships and supports reforms such as a youth guarantee and flexible growth and skills levy.
Discussed personal experiences with apprenticeships, highlighting how they can improve productivity and provide opportunities for diverse talent.
Emphasises the importance of apprenticeships in delivering on the Government’s agenda and meeting construction, green transition, and job benefits goals.
School leavers are poorly informed about apprenticeship opportunities leading to low take-up rates. Only 25% of school leavers in Rossendale and Darwen choose apprenticeships.
Made three points: prioritising manufacturing, engineering, and construction; focusing on level 3 and 4 apprenticeships for wage premiums; and addressing the barrier of mandatory grade 4 English and maths at GCSE.
Emphasised the importance of apprenticeships in building skills and addressing skill shortages, especially in critical sectors like nuclear. Highlighted personal experience as an apprentice to advocate for the value of vocational education.
In North Lanarkshire, there were more than 2,000 modern apprenticeship starts last year. Frank McNally expressed concern about the real-terms cut in apprenticeship funding in Scotland.
Asked the Minister to facilitate apprenticeships and skills training for Tata’s Agratas gigafactory.
Supports the debate on apprenticeships, highlighting opportunities available in Northern Ireland and the efforts to increase inclusivity.
Apprenticeships provide tailored skills needed for local economies, especially for those who did not fit into the school system. However, barriers exist that prevent small businesses from accessing apprenticeships.
Stressed the need for apprenticeship programmes to combat depopulation and increase social mobility in Northumberland.
Points out that the previous apprenticeship levy was mostly attractive to larger companies, suggesting reforms should encourage SMEs to participate more.
Ingham agreed with Pakes on the need to widen access to entry-level roles in theatre, highlighting critical skill shortages in technical and backstage roles. Welcomed the debate's focus on apprenticeships, noting the shift from traditional trades to diverse fields. Emphasised the importance of reflecting these changes in policies and welcomed Skills England’s work.
Congratulated the lead MP, stating that apprenticeships are a vital part of the education system but noted years of Conservative failure in attracting young people to apprenticeships. Highlighted a decline in new apprentices since 2015-16, discussed pay disparities and called for reform of the apprenticeship levy.
Scrogham highlighted the importance of apprenticeships in the defence sector, citing BAE’s high completion rate compared to the national average.
Emphasized the importance of apprenticeships in her constituency, noting a decline under the previous government despite increases in skilled job vacancies.
Highlights the skills gap issue in Barking and Dagenham with 46% of 19-year-olds lacking qualifications. Welcomes Skills England's establishment but calls for more details on its timeline.
Data from the Department for Education shows a fall in the take-up of intermediate-level qualifications in Colchester. The speaker urges support for intermediate and high-level apprenticeships.
Dyke expressed support for apprenticeships but raised concerns about the apprenticeship levy's negative impact on rural areas, suggesting it should be scrapped.
Every £1 invested in level 2 and level 3 apprenticeships sees a return of between £26 and £28. Shockat Adam emphasised the importance of apprenticeships for individuals who do not thrive in traditional academic environments.
In rural areas, apprenticeships are crucial for industries such as land management and farming. Warren Services in Thetford is an example of a business committed to building the workforce of the future through apprenticeships.
Addressed the decline in apprenticeship starts in construction and highlighted the potential for growth in Folkestone and Hythe, advocating for investment by businesses to support young people's employment.
Between 2010 and 2024, the Conservative Government delivered 5.8 million apprenticeships. Wendy Morton highlighted the importance of high-quality apprenticeships and raised concerns about funding for SMEs due to increased employer national insurance contributions.
Government Response
Janet DabyThe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
The Minister acknowledges that they inherited a £22 billion black hole and one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training. UK employers reported a third of vacancies due to skills shortages under the previous Government, with technical training at level 4 and 5 at only 4% of adults compared to Germany's 20% and Canada's 34%. The Minister stresses investment in people's future careers for change. National Apprenticeship Week promises to be the best yet, with more than 1,000 events across the country showcasing all that apprenticeships have to offer. Apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by almost 40% between 2015-16 and 2023-24. We are committed to changing this and introducing new foundation apprenticeships in targeted, growing sectors. The apprenticeship minimum wage is being increased by 18%, from £6.40 to £7.55. Apprentices under the age of 25 who have been in local authority care can claim a bursary of £3,000 when they start an apprenticeship. We will continue to support care leavers and those aged under 19 or 19 to 24 if they have an education, health and care plan or have been in care with £1,000 payments to both employers and training providers. Apprentices aged up to 25 are exempt from paying towards employees’ national insurance when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year. We are promoting career starter apprenticeships through the Skills for Life campaign, targeting young people leaving full-time education. We will introduce shorter duration apprenticeships and focus on establishing a coherent skills system with more flexible training options to support employers in filling skill gaps.