Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the Local Apprenticeships Service for areas in England without regional mayors.

The government is investing £240 million over the current spending review period, to pilot, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), new approaches to better connect young people aged 16-24, including those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), to local apprenticeship opportunities. Funding beyond this is subject to future spending review processes.

Mayors already have substantial powers over skills funding and development in their areas, and this pilot goes further by providing additional funding to test and evaluate how place-based apprenticeship activities can best support young people and employers.

While the government wants young people across England to be able to access high-quality apprenticeship opportunities, the pilot is focused on Mayoral Strategic Authority areas where Mayors can use their convening powers to get local employer buy-in and tailor support to local labour market needs. The evidence and learning generated through the pilot will inform future decisions about the longer-term role and reach of place-based apprenticeship services.

The government has also set out its ambition for every part of England to have, or be in the process of establishing, a strategic authority by the end of 2027, with strategic authorities in place across England by the end of 2028.

More widely, to support our ambition of 50,000 more young people starting apprenticeships, we are fully funding apprenticeship training for all eligible16-24-year-olds, and we have introduced a new hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy payers which take on 16-24 year old apprentices as new employees. This funding support is available to eligible employers across England.