Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to measure the effect of the apprenticeships programme on economic productivity.

We evaluate the impact of apprenticeships on economic productivity on a regular basis. We do so predominantly by evaluating the wage returns of those who have completed apprenticeships.

We know that Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships deliver benefits of around £26 and £28 respectively to the economy per £1 of Government investment. This includes both the wage return to the individual and the productivity return to the employer (source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-measuring-the-net-present-value-in-england).

As part of our regular Apprenticeship Evaluation Surveys, we also ask employers what they perceive as the main benefits of apprenticeships. Improved productivity is the most frequently cited benefit (76%). Please see the following link for further details: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/522149/bis-16-256-apprentice-evaluation-employer-survey-2015.pdf.

Both of these will be updated frequently to understand the ongoing impact of the apprenticeship programme.