Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how an apprenticeship standard will be created when there are fewer than the required ten employers to set up a trailblazer group in a specialised occupation; and what role the Institute for Apprenticeships' sectoral groups will play in that process from April 2017.

The rationale for requiring at least ten employers (including at least two with fewer than 50 employees) to commit to developing a standard is to ensure that the needs of all types of employers likely to utilise the standard are met. This is also addressed by requiring Trailblazers to consult on any draft standard more widely. Under very exceptional circumstances, for example, where the demand for an apprenticeship in a particular occupation is significant but confined to a smaller number of employers, we have approved the development of a standard. However, there are fewer than ten standards currently developed or in development that have fewer than ten employers on the Trailblazer Group. The Government also needs to take into account that, where demand is likely to be very low, there may be significant difficulties in securing appropriate training and assessment provision. In such circumstances, it would not be appropriate to approve the development of a standard.

We are currently developing the detail of the structure and target operating model of the Institute for Apprenticeships, and will publish further information about this in due course.