Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of apprenticeship intermediaries in improving the (a) number and (b) quality of apprenticeships available.

The department has developed an employer-led apprenticeship system which allows employers to design the apprenticeships they need and directly access funding for the apprenticeships they want, when they want it. There are currently over 660 high-quality apprenticeship standards available for employers across every sector to access.

We want to make the apprenticeship system as simple to access as possible, especially for small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who will often have less capacity. That is why the department has removed the limit on the number of apprentices SMEs can employ and are making it simpler for them to set-up an apprenticeship service account and access funding and support. We are also introducing new enhanced advice via the GOV.UK website specifically for SMEs, including new peer-to-peer videos.

Intermediary organisations can play a beneficial role in helping employers in a sector or region understand and access the opportunities that apprenticeships present. For example, the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network is a group of almost 900 employers across the country, who are passionate about apprenticeships and are successful in inspiring other businesses to use high-quality apprenticeships and encourage young people to pursue apprenticeships as a vibrant career route.

Since November 2022 the department has been piloting SME apprenticeship pathfinders in four regions of the north of England, investing £750,000 per year to enable growth partners to reach and support SMEs to take their first steps on their apprenticeship journey successfully. This pilot will be running for two years, and we will begin the evaluation in 2024.