Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release, Cash boost to create new flexible approach to apprenticeships, published on 3 August 2021, what proportion of the fund to support flexi-job apprenticeship agencies has been spent.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is supporting sectors with short-term project-based work through flexi-Job apprenticeship agencies (FJAAs), which allow apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
In July 2021, the government created a £7 million fund to support employers set up and expand FJAAs. £4.5 million of grant allocations have been awarded, and 97% (£4.3 million) of the grant allocations have been spent.
There are now 44 FJAAs supporting the delivery of apprenticeships in sectors such as creative, construction, agriculture and digital, across every region in England. The current register of FJAAs can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
The number of apprenticeship starts through FJAAs can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistical release here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships, with the latest data to be published on 25 January 2024. The department intends to publish data on achievements by FJAAs in due course.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) starts and (b) completions of flexi-job apprenticeships there have been through the flexi-job apprenticeship agencies register since February 2022.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is supporting sectors with short-term project-based work through flexi-Job apprenticeship agencies (FJAAs), which allow apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
In July 2021, the government created a £7 million fund to support employers set up and expand FJAAs. £4.5 million of grant allocations have been awarded, and 97% (£4.3 million) of the grant allocations have been spent.
There are now 44 FJAAs supporting the delivery of apprenticeships in sectors such as creative, construction, agriculture and digital, across every region in England. The current register of FJAAs can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
The number of apprenticeship starts through FJAAs can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistical release here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships, with the latest data to be published on 25 January 2024. The department intends to publish data on achievements by FJAAs in due course.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of the Multiply programme in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government is committed to supporting people to climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.
To enable this, the department recognises the importance of numeracy skills, both in work and everyday life. Securing good levels of numeracy increases individual productivity, improves earnings and employment opportunities, supports economic growth, and breaks cycles of intergenerational economic and social disadvantage. That is why, in 2022 the department launched Multiply, the government’s programme for improving adult numeracy, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is the government’s flagship fund for supporting people and places across the UK. Up to £270 million is available in England, and up to £160 million in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to deliver innovative initiatives to tackle poor adult numeracy. The department is responsible for delivery of the Multiply programme in England.
The below is a table of Multiply Programme spending by financial year (England only).
2021/22 | 2022/23 |
£0.32 million | £51.88 million |
The spend figures for the 2023/24 financial year will be available in June 2024.
Delivery is now well underway. Multiply provision is available in all 81 local areas in England that were allocated funding, with over 52,000 course starts by July 2023.
A core component of the Multiply programme is to improve the evidence base on “what works” in tackling low adult numeracy, and the department will run a full evaluation of the programme, including a series of randomised control trials.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 232 on T-levels: Hounslow and the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 814 on T-levels: Feltham and Heston, whether her Department holds data on student T-Level starts at the (a) local authority and (b) constituency level.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department does hold the data to derive student T Level starts at the local authority and parliamentary constituency level but does not currently publish data at this level. Breakdowns of T Level attainment by local authority will be published as part of the ‘Compare School and College Performance’ data in 2025.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been provided to Institutes of Technology in (a) wave one and (b) wave two in each year since 2019.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is delivering 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs), which exceeds the manifesto commitment of 20, of which 19 are already open.
The department is providing up to £300 million of capital funding to the IoT programme to ensure that learners have access to high quality premises and industry standard equipment. The following capital funding has been provided since the programme commenced:
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |
2019/2020 | £21,836,758 |
|
2020/2021 | £60,772,151 |
|
2021/2022 | £38,932,896 | £706,258 |
2022/2023 | £38,655,887 | £5,822,800 |
For Wave 1, this funded 47 new facilities, which comprised of 19 new builds and 28 refurbishments. 52 IoT partners received funding for specialist equipment. Wave 2 is comprised of 30 new facility projects, including 7 new builds and 23 refurbishments. 37 partners will receive funding for specialist equipment.
IoTs are funded for participating learners in the same way as further education colleges and higher education institutions.
The number of full-time equivalent staff working at IoTs is a matter for the individual IoTs and their constituent partners. The department does not hold the information requested on how many IoTs have specially built facilities.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff are working at Institutes of Technology.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is delivering 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs), which exceeds the manifesto commitment of 20, of which 19 are already open.
The department is providing up to £300 million of capital funding to the IoT programme to ensure that learners have access to high quality premises and industry standard equipment. The following capital funding has been provided since the programme commenced:
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |
2019/2020 | £21,836,758 |
|
2020/2021 | £60,772,151 |
|
2021/2022 | £38,932,896 | £706,258 |
2022/2023 | £38,655,887 | £5,822,800 |
For Wave 1, this funded 47 new facilities, which comprised of 19 new builds and 28 refurbishments. 52 IoT partners received funding for specialist equipment. Wave 2 is comprised of 30 new facility projects, including 7 new builds and 23 refurbishments. 37 partners will receive funding for specialist equipment.
IoTs are funded for participating learners in the same way as further education colleges and higher education institutions.
The number of full-time equivalent staff working at IoTs is a matter for the individual IoTs and their constituent partners. The department does not hold the information requested on how many IoTs have specially built facilities.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Institutes of Technology have specially built facilities.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department is delivering 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs), which exceeds the manifesto commitment of 20, of which 19 are already open.
The department is providing up to £300 million of capital funding to the IoT programme to ensure that learners have access to high quality premises and industry standard equipment. The following capital funding has been provided since the programme commenced:
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |
2019/2020 | £21,836,758 |
|
2020/2021 | £60,772,151 |
|
2021/2022 | £38,932,896 | £706,258 |
2022/2023 | £38,655,887 | £5,822,800 |
For Wave 1, this funded 47 new facilities, which comprised of 19 new builds and 28 refurbishments. 52 IoT partners received funding for specialist equipment. Wave 2 is comprised of 30 new facility projects, including 7 new builds and 23 refurbishments. 37 partners will receive funding for specialist equipment.
IoTs are funded for participating learners in the same way as further education colleges and higher education institutions.
The number of full-time equivalent staff working at IoTs is a matter for the individual IoTs and their constituent partners. The department does not hold the information requested on how many IoTs have specially built facilities.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's It all starts with skills campaign.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department's high-quality skills system, co-designed with employers, supports people into well-paid jobs and provides businesses with the skilled workforce they need for our economy to thrive. Marketing campaigns continue to play an important role in promoting government skills and technical education offers including apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, Multiply, Free Courses for Jobs and Higher Technical Qualifications - as well as support and advice from the National Careers Service - to young people, adults and employers.
In the 2023/24 financial year, the department will spend a total of £12,085,527 on Skills for Life campaigns funded from existing skills policy budgets. It All Starts with Skills replaces and builds on three campaigns targeting adults (Unlock Your Potential), employers (Join The Skills Revolution) and young people (Get The Jump).
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many BAME apprenticeship starts there were between (a) 2015 and (b) 2020.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The number of apprenticeship starts from the 2014/15 academic year onwards by learners declaring themselves from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department provided to (a) combined authorities, (b) local authorities, (c) Local Enterprise Partnerships and (d) employer representative bodies to support the development of local skills improvement plans in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The development, review and implementation of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are led by designated employer representative bodies (ERBs) who work closely with employers and a range of local stakeholders, including the Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) / the Greater London Authority (GLA) and local authorities. The department is funding the designated ERBs up to £550,000 for each LSIP for the period between September 2022 and March 2025. The only exception is Greater London, where double the amount of funding, £1.1million, is available to reflect the overall size of the area.
More information about LSIP grant funding for employer representative bodies is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/654b7980e70413000ffc49fb/Local_skills_improvement_plans_-_stage_2.pdf.
In addition, in the 2022/23 financial year, the MCAs / GLA and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) received up to £55,000 to support the development of the LSIPs by providing analytical support to the designated ERBs. This was a transitional arrangement put in place while funding for the Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) programme was being phased out.
Delivering the priorities set out in LSIPs will require collective action from a range of local partners, including local and regional government. The LSIP stage 2 guidance makes it clear that the designated ERBs should engage constructively with MCAs/the GLA, local authorities and LEPs so that the employer intelligence set out in LSIPs can dock into local strategies and bear influence on other skills-related funding streams in ways that are mutually reinforcing.