Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of future workforce demand in the electrical sector in the next five to ten years.

This government continues to make available education and training opportunities in electrical and plumbing sectors across the country, including in Erewash.

A range of apprenticeships are available, including the level 3 plumbing and domestic heating technician standard and the level 3 domestic electrician standard.

Higher Technical Qualifications across a range of occupational routes are also available, including qualifications such as HNC Electrical Systems Engineering, and HND Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Additionally, T Levels in Building Services Engineering for Construction provide students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the electrical and plumbing sectors.

The government has announced an additional £625 million to support construction skills training. This is expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, including in electrical and plumbing, this Parliament.

Skills England will provide an authoritative assessment of national and regional skills needs in all sectors, now and in the future, which will include identifying skills gaps and ensuring a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications which are aligned with skills gaps and the needs of employers.

The Construction Industry Training Board states that plumbing and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are some of the occupations that will have the highest average growth (1.5%) to 2028. Electricians and electrical fitters also currently have one of the highest skill-shortage vacancy densities, with 46.5% of vacancies being linked to skills shortages.