Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the benefits of extending T-levels to 19-23 year-olds; and if he will make a statement.

T Levels will be two year, full time study programmes of up to 1800 hours. We are introducing them for 16-19 year olds initially, and will consider whether they could also be suitable for some adults in due course.

In our manifesto, we also pledged to introduce a National Retraining Scheme. The National Retraining Scheme is an ambitious, far-reaching programme set up to drive the adult learning and retraining that will deliver the skills that individuals need to thrive. It was also set up to support employers to adapt as the economy changes.

The Chancellor recently announced funding of £100 million for the National Retraining Scheme. This funding will help us to roll out the initial elements of the scheme, delivering parts of the service to the public. It will also allow us to substantively test, evaluate and learn as we build the service. In addition to the National Retraining Scheme, apprenticeships are available to learners of all ages.