Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to increase the number of apprenticeships available to young people in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

This Government is prioritising young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people, which have fallen by 40% over the last decade. This includes a record-breaking investment of £3.3 billion in the Growth and Skills Levy this year and over £1 billion of additional investment across the Spending Review period.

To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships across England, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme, we have expanded foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail, will launch a new level 2 administrative assistant apprenticeship from August, and are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that take on 16-24 year old apprentices as new employees.

We will also fully fund non-levy paying employer apprenticeships for eligible 16–24-year-olds from August 2026 and launch a £140 million pilot, in conjunction with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities.