Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will guarantee that apprenticeship standards aligned with the Government’s priority Industrial Strategy sectors (IS-8) will continue to be eligible for funding under the Growth and Skills Levy.

The Government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, backed by an additional £725 million of investment, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy.

Last year, the government spent 100% of its multi-billion-pound apprenticeship budget. To live within this budget and deliver on the above priorities, we must reform the apprenticeship programme to ensure its future sustainability and effectiveness. This includes working with employers to streamline the suite of over 700 apprenticeship standards as we roll out new short courses from April 2026.

We have been working intensively with business on the next stages of reform and will announce plans for the development of the Growth and Skills Levy soon.