Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of apprenticeship starts to be offered by businesses in each region and constituent part of the UK in 2017-18.

We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 and will ensure they deliver the skills employers and the economy need for growth.

Future availability of apprenticeships is dependent on employers recruiting apprentices and offering opportunities. No estimate has been made on the proportion of apprenticeship starts offered by businesses in each region and constituent part of the UK in 2017-18.

We want to encourage more employers to offer apprenticeships and our reforms give employers the opportunity to do so - employers are designing new apprenticeships that meet their business and skills needs.

We are putting control of the funding for apprenticeships firmly in the hands of employers, so they can invest in quality training. Publication of the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers on 14 March 2017 means that employers have a real choice in the training they select, so that they get the skills they need to grow their business.

The Apprenticeships Levy comes into effect from April 2017, as part of a wider suite of reforms to improve the quality and sustainability of the apprenticeship system.