Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s apprenticeship and levy statistics, published in October 2019, how many of the 780 recorded accounts of apprenticeship levy voucher transfers resulting on starts on standards were transferred from levy-paying companies to non-levy paying small to medium-sized employers; and what proportion of those apprenticeships were in the construction sector.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Levy-paying employers in England do not use digital vouchers. Employers that pay the apprenticeship levy use funds in their apprenticeship service accounts to pay for training and assessment and to transfer to other employers
In October 2019, the apprenticeships and levy statistics publication reported that there were 780 transferred commitments that have materialised into apprenticeship starts as recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) as at 31 August 2019. Of these, 20 (2.7%) were starts in the Construction, Planning and Built Environment sector subject area.
Please note:
1) The figures above are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentage to 1 decimal place.
2) The percentage is derived from unrounded figures.
3) The figures above show only those transfers where a start is taking place on a standard in the Construction, Planning and Built Environment sector subject area. The construction industry sector could include starts on standards in other sector subject areas (i.e. Business, Administration and Law).
We are unable to identify whether a transfer between apprenticeship service accounts was from a levy-paying company to a non-levy paying company as we do not centrally hold data on the size of employer and their industry sector. This means we cannot identify if these transfers of levy funds were to the apprenticeship service accounts of small to medium-sized employers. The Department for Education does, however, periodically perform an analysis linking ILR data to the Inter-Departmental Business Register data (held by the Office for National Statistics) to identify the size and industry sector of employers, with the most recent analysis covering the 2016/17 academic year. Thes statistics are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Level 2 apprenticeship starts there were in construction in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2016-17 and (d) 2015-16.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The below table shows level 2 apprenticeship starts in the construction industry sector for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 academic years. This is the latest available data, and it is taken from the ‘Apprenticeships in England by Industry Characteristics’ statistics publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.
Table 1: Level 2 apprenticeship starts in the construction industry sector: 2015/16 to 2016/17 | |
Academic year | Number of level 2 apprenticeship starts |
2015/16 | 19,470 |
2016/17 | 18,390 |
Notes:
1) All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
We also publish apprenticeship starts by sector subject area. The number of level 2 apprenticeship starts for the sector subject area ‘Construction, Planning and the Built Environment’ for the academic years 2015/16 to 2017/18 is shown in the table below, along with starts in the first 3 quarters of the 2018/19 academic year. Data for 2015/16 to 2017/18 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804343/Monthly-apprenticeship-starts-fwk-tool_May-2019.xlsx.
Data for the first 3 quarters of 2018/19 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814997/Apprenticeship-starts-ach-framework-standard-tool_201718_Q3-201819_July2019.xlsx.
Table 2: Level 2 apprenticeship starts in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment sector subject area: 2015/16 to Q3 2018/19
Academic year | Number of level 2 apprenticeship starts |
2015/16 | 16,670 |
2016/17 | 15,840 |
2017/18 | 14,770 |
2018/19 (August to April 19) provisional | 11,630 |
Notes:
1) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).
2) In this table, numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the period. Learners starting more than one apprenticeship will appear more than once.
3) Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners reported on the ILR.
4) For the 2018/19 academic year (reported to date), numbers are counted only for months August 18 to April 19 (quarter 3).
5) All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how a student completing an On-Site Construction T Level will transition onto a Level 2 apprenticeship in bricklaying should that student need more training in hand skills on that specialist pathway.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The T level in On-Site Construction incorporates a number of occupational standards, including level 2 Bricklayer. A T level student who chooses the bricklaying occupational specialism will therefore develop many of the skills included in the level 2 Bricklayer apprenticeship. Once the T level qualification has been approved, we will be able to assess more accurately any differences between the competence conveyed by the level 2 Bricklayer apprenticeship and the T level in On-Site Construction.
Under current apprenticeship rules, a T level student would be able to progress to a level 2 apprenticeship if it allows them to acquire substantive new skills and the content of the training is materially different from their T level. The apprenticeship would need to be a minimum of 12 months in duration and involve at least 20% off-the-job training.
Our analysis of the overlap between the approved T level qualification and the level 2 apprenticeship will therefore be important in determining progression options, including eligibility for an apprenticeship at the same or a lower level.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made on promoting the vocational pathways available for students wishing to pursue a career in construction to (a) teachers, (b) students, (c) careers advisors and (d) parents and guardians.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Careers guidance is improving steadily across the country following the publication of the government’s careers strategy in December 2017. Schools and colleges are making good progress against the Gatsby benchmarks and showing improvements on every dimension of careers support. That means that young people are getting better information about the labour market, different education and training pathways and access to personal guidance to formulate ideas into a careers plan. Teachers are helping students to link their curriculum learning to future careers.
Through the Baker Clause, the department is improving the visibility and quality of advice on vocational routes by requiring schools to invite other providers to talk to students about the technical qualifications and apprenticeships that they offer.
The Careers & Enterprise Company is making sure that every young person has access to encounters with employers from a variety of sectors, which may include the construction industry. Information on a variety of careers, including construction, can also be found on the National Careers Service website.
The department promotes technical pathways, including for students interested in construction. We recently launched our T level communications campaign, aimed at young people, parents, teachers and employers. A new website (www.tlevels.gov.uk.) includes the function to search for providers delivering T levels from September 2020, including those in Construction (‘Design, Surveying and Planning’).
Apprenticeships available in the sector include Construction Site Engineering Technician, Installation Electrician and Civil Engineering Site Management. Our apprenticeships campaign, Fire It Up, demonstrates that apprenticeships are an aspirational choice for anyone with passion and energy. We have also developed Amazing Apprenticeships, a website and resource portal for schools and teachers.
In addition, we offer a free service to schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) project to ensure that teachers have the knowledge and support to enable them to promote apprenticeships to their students. During the 2018-19 academic year, the ASK programme reached over 300,000 students across 2,368 establishments and from September 2019, it has been extended to include years 7 to 9.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 290326 and to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324, if he will introduce the same policy as the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and switch to an electricity provider that supplies electricity solely from renewable resources within the next 12 months; and for what reason his Department has not already ensured its electricity is supplied solely from renewable resources.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Minister for School Standards, Nick Gibb gave on 2 October 2019 to Question 290326.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which provider supplies energy to his Department; how much CO2 was emitted through his Department’s energy consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria his Department uses to selecting an energy supplier includes how environmentally friendly the supplier is; and what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce CO2 emissions from its energy use.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department is mandated to use the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) energy frameworks for the supply of gas, electricity and liquid fuels. The CCS competes frameworks on the open market and selects the energy providers according to a set of award criteria, normally based on price and quality. The current suppliers for each of these services is: EDF Energy for half-hourly electricity, British Gas for non-half-hourly electricity, Corona for gas and various suppliers for liquid fuels.
In 2018-19, the Department emitted 7,890 t/CO2e which represents a 63% reduction compared to 2009-10. This has been achieved through improved building management, estate rationalisation and co-location, and decarbonisation of grid electricity.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's publication, Apprenticeship and levy statistics: December 2018, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeship starts of 32 per cent between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
Answered by Anne Milton
The underlying principle of an apprenticeship is that it is a job, and employers are able to create the apprenticeship starts that best meet their skills needs. It is for employers to decide which standards will help to meet their skills needs.
60% of standards are at Levels 2 and 3 and with 470 standards available, there is an offer at every level. Starts at Levels 2 and 3 still make up the vast majority of the programme (almost 82% in the first half of 2018-19).
Our reforms are supporting a healthier balance across all levels and it is encouraging to see that apprenticeships are helping people to train in skilled occupations at all levels, and progress in their careers.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the March 2019 report by the National Audit Office and current inquiry by the Public Accounts Committee into apprenticeships, if he will launch a public consultation on the future of the apprenticeships programme.
Answered by Anne Milton
We welcome the Public Accounts Committee’s recent report and were pleased that the Committee has acknowledged our focus on putting quality at the heart of our apprenticeship reforms.
The government is carefully considering the Committee’s findings and will respond in due course. We keep all aspects of our policy under review in order that apprenticeships continue to support employers in developing the skills they need to grow, in addition to offering value for money for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether apprenticeship levy-paying employers will continue to be able to use half of the funds that they contribute to the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
Levy-paying employers are able to use all of the funds that they contribute to the apprenticeship levy and which are available to them in their apprenticeship service account. In addition, employers receive a 10% top-up to the funds entering their account every month which they are also able to spend on apprenticeship training and assessment.
We continue to keep all aspects of funding policy under review.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help apprenticeship levy-paying employers to use more of the levy funding available to them than the 15 per cent that they used between 2017 and 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
Spending on apprenticeships is demand-led. Employers can choose the type, level and quantity of apprenticeships that they offer, as well as when they offer the apprenticeships, to meet their current and future skills needs.
Between May 2017 and April 2019, levy-paying employers spent 18% of the funds available to them on the training and assessment of new apprentices. In addition, levy-paying employers will also have benefitted from ongoing funding for apprenticeships for their employees which started prior to the introduction of the levy. They will also benefit from additional payments to support apprentices employed with levy-payers (such as English and Maths teaching and payments to support disadvantaged learners), and 95% of the funding for training for any apprenticeships started once their levy funds have been exhausted.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency works closely with employers, for example through webinars and employer roadshows, to encourage them to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer and make the most of the long-term benefits that apprenticeships can bring to their organisations. We have ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers, and ongoing support via telephone for small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage them to invest their levy funds.
To further support all employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training, we have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%.
We do not anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts. Income from the levy is also used to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers.