Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support apprenticeship programmes and technical training in the vehicle repair and salvage sector, in the context of the skills gap in the industry.

Several apprenticeships, including Level 2 Autocare Technician, Level 3 Accident Repair technician and Level 4 Vehicle Damage Assessor, are available to support employers and learners in the vehicle repair and salvage sector to develop the skills they need.

To support apprenticeship opportunities in all sectors, this government is investing an additional £725 million to deliver the next phase of the growth and skills levy and meet our ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. We will launch a pilot with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible 16–24-year-olds from the next academic year.

For 16-19-year-olds, the T Level in Engineering and Manufacturing for Maintenance, Installation and Repair includes a specialism in service maintenance and repair activities for light and electric vehicles, helping to equip students with the skills needed for these in-demand sectors.

We have recently closed the consultation seeking views on our proposals on the Post-16 Level 3 and Below Pathways. We will be publishing the government’s response to the consultation in due course, which will set out our plans for V Levels, T Levels and qualifications at Level 2.