Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote apprenticeship opportunities in the catering and hospitality sector.

Apprenticeship standards are now available across a broad range of sectors including in hospitality and catering. There are 10 standards available, including Hospitality Manager, Chef De Partie and Maritime Caterer.

The new apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry; creating higher quality training that will lead to a more productive economy and give employers, like those in the hospitality and catering sector, the skills they need to grow and succeed.

We are promoting apprenticeships opportunities through our Get In Go Far marketing campaign. The latest campaign phase launched on 13 August and coincided with August's exam results period when young people are looking at the options available to them after school or college. The campaign aims to help increase the number of vacancies created by employers and encourage young people to choose an apprenticeship as a high quality career route – signposting them to new vacancies on offer.