Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has her Department made of the potential impact of the £1,000 financial incentive per T-Level industry placement for small and medium enterprises on placement numbers; and whether she plans to reintroduce this incentive.

As part of the department’s response to the impact of the pandemic, in May 2021 the department launched a short-term employer incentive fund to support employers to deliver T Level industry placements where they received £1,000 for every placement delivered. The majority of incentive funds were paid to small and medium size enterprises and impacted their ability to offer a number of high-quality industry placements.

The incentive fund ended on the 31 July 2022, and there is currently no intention to implement a further employer incentive fund, as it was always designed to be short-term. The department recognises that some employers may continue to incur costs when providing placement opportunities, and is considering what further support might need to be put in place to support the delivery of high-quality industry placements as we continue to rollout T Levels.