Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many apprenticeships were created in the transport sector in 2018.

Government set out ambitions to create apprenticeships in road and rail client bodies and their supply chain in its Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy in 2016. It established the Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce (STAT), an employer led group, to drive progress in creating apprenticeships and improving diversity in the sector. The Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce reports on progress each year. The most recent Annual Report ‘Three Years of Progress’ was published on 11^th July 2019 and sets out the following:

• 2,900 apprenticeship starts in road and rail (April 2018 – April 2019)

• 8,200 apprenticeship starts in road and rail client bodies alone and their supply chain since STAT started its work in 2016. These apprenticeships have been created through the public-sector mandate and through public sector procurement in supply chain bodies

• STAT has seen year on year growth in the number of apprenticeships created to date

• In STAT's latest (July 2019) report, it set out apprenticeship starts beyond just road and rail, with data obtained from Heathrow, the Maritime Skills Alliance and DfE reporting.