Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to increase access to electrical appliance repair and reuse skills training.

This government is committed to delivering a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality, and fit for the future.

The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over this Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. The department are working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key sectors, including green jobs.

The department’s high-quality employer-designed apprenticeships, including the Level 3 Digital Device Repair Technician standard, also continue to support employers and apprentices to develop the skills needed in the green economy.

Employer-led standards have shaped the design of T Levels, which are new level 3 qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds that reflect modern industrial practice and include a 45 day industry placement. Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels in Maintenance, Installation and Repair were introduced in 2022, where students can choose to specialise in electrical and electronics.

The department’s reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives and to improve national productivity.

The department is delivering reforms to increase uptake of high-quality higher technical education. Central to these reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs).

HTQs are new or existing Level 4 and 5 qualifications (such as Higher National Diploma’s, Foundation Degrees and Diploma HE) that have been approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to indicate their alignment to employer-led occupational standards. These qualifications have been developed by awarding bodies in collaboration with employers and businesses so that students get the specific training, knowledge and skills required for their chosen career.

To date, 172 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction and the Built Environment, Health & Science, Business and Administration, Education and Early Years, Engineering & Manufacturing and Legal, Finance and Accounting occupational routes, for first teach beginning between September 2022 and September 2024.

There are HTQs approved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related subjects, including Engineering and Manufacturing and Construction and the Built Environment that will help provide the skills needed for industries.

The department is investing up to £115 million of funding to help support the growth in higher technical provision across the country.