Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

The department’s reforms have transformed apprenticeships. The department wants to further improve the quality of apprenticeships so that as many apprentices as possible benefit from these opportunities. The department has set an aim of reaching a 67% achievement rate for apprenticeship standards by the end of the 2024/25 academic year. To support this ambition, we are taking a range of actions to drive up apprenticeship quality and achievements.

The content of every apprenticeship is now designed directly by employers. Every apprentice has protected time off the job to dedicate to their training and all apprentices complete a rigorous end point assessment to confirm their competency. These changes mean that apprenticeships are now higher quality and better meet the needs of employers and individuals.

To support employers give their apprentices a high-quality experience, the department is working with them to improve their apprenticeship programmes and providing them with targeted support including through our Employer Quality Roadmap which provides guidance on what employers need to be doing at each stage of the apprenticeship.

To support providers to deliver high quality provision, the department is continuing to invest in a professional development programme for teachers and trainers of apprentices. We have strengthened our measures for holding training providers to account, using a wider range of quality indicators and user feedback. Ofsted will also be fully inspecting all apprenticeship providers by 2025.

To support apprentices to make the right choices, the department is making sure they get the best possible advice and support at every stage of their apprenticeship journey, supported by new digital support services and better careers advice. The department has also launched a new exit feedback tool for apprentices who have withdrawn, and a new feedback tool for existing apprentices to provide feedback on their training provider. We will use this feedback to inform further improvements.