Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to the National Retraining Scheme pilots in digital and construction skills has been spent.

The government has committed £24 million to the CITB Construction Skills Fund. This fund will support and incentivise an employer-led approach to construction skills by funding on-site training hubs across England. Funding is due to begin shortly, with the first hubs being rolled out towards the end of the year. This employer-led approach to construction training will help deliver the local skills that firms need, while also meeting the national need for more skilled construction workers.

As part of the 2017 Autumn Budget, the West Midlands Combined Authority was granted £5 million to support the recruitment of new construction training entrants to underpin the continued growth of the region’s construction industry. This funding, which is separate to the £24 million committed to the CITB Construction Skills Fund, commenced in July 2018 and it will conclude in 2021.

Finally, the government has allocated £30 million to develop innovative ways to use education technology and artificial intelligence in education to deliver improved learning outcomes. This funding takes effect from the period 2019 to 2020 onwards and further details will be announced shortly. Evidence from these funds and pilots will inform the development of the National Retraining Scheme.