Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of respondents to the apprentice exit survey reported that financial issues contributed to them not finishing an apprenticeship in the 2022-23 academic year.

The department is committed to supporting as many apprentices as possible to stay on their programme, to achieve and have to a high-quality experience.

The department wants to ensure that apprentice pay supports talented individuals to start and stay in apprenticeships. From April 2024, the apprentice minimum wage will increase by 21.2% to £6.40. Many employers pay their apprentices more than the minimum, with the latest data showing that the median gross hourly pay for apprentices in 2021 was £9.98 an hour.

The department continues to provide additional financial support to employers and providers to encourage more apprenticeship opportunities and to help meet additional costs associated with apprenticeships. The department provides £1,000 payments to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and up to 24 for apprentices with an Education, Health and Care plan, which can be used to support costs such as work equipment, uniforms, or travel. The department has also increased the care leavers’ bursary from £1,000 to £3,000.

3,658 apprentices have responded to the exit questionnaire since it was launched in October 2022. Of those, 679 (19%) cited financial reasons as contributing to their withdrawal from their apprenticeship.