Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to address skills shortages in the manufacturing sector.

The government is addressing skills shortages in manufacturing through reforms to technical education, apprenticeships and higher technical skills training. We are strengthening pathways into manufacturing careers through T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), the Lifelong Learning Entitlement and apprenticeships, helping people gain the skills employers need.

Engineering and Manufacturing T Levels support young people to progress into skilled employment, higher technical education and apprenticeships, while recent changes to industry placements provide greater flexibility for employers to participate.

We are transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England to give employers greater flexibility to invest in workforce training. In addition, we have announced a £182 million Engineering Skills Package to support skills development in priority sectors, including manufacturing, which includes 4 Technical Excellence Colleges specialising in advanced manufacturing. We continue to work with Skills England, providers and employers to ensure training provision meets evolving sector needs.