Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in management apprenticeship starts since May 2017 on the takeup of apprenticeships at other levels.

The rise in numbers of apprenticeship starts at higher levels (4 and above) is good news - showing a healthier balance across all levels, helping people progress to higher skills. 90 per cent of starts remain at levels 2 and 3.

The apprenticeship system has deliberately been designed to be employer-led. Employers are best placed to understand their own skills needs and to choose the apprenticeships to develop their own talent – whether that involves recruiting new people or re-training and upskilling existing staff.