Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing an apprenticeship scheme for pilots to tackle the skills shortage in the aviation industry.

​Our apprenticeship programme is demand-led, and employers are empowered to drive the development of the apprenticeship standards they need to make a sustainable investment in training and grow their businesses.

New, high-quality apprenticeship standards are developed by employer-led trailblazer groups with the support of the independent Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA). A standard for ‘first officer pilot’ is currently under development by a trailblazer group led by TUI, with the participation of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and the Royal Air Force. The standard has been approved and published and the IfA is currently reviewing the end-point assessment plan.

​We will continue to work with employers and sector bodies to understand how apprenticeships can continue to address skills needs in all sectors of the economy.