Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of construction employment rates; and what plans they have to increase construction apprenticeship schemes.

The Government is committed to supporting apprentices and their employers to continue to build the skills capabilities the UK will need in the long term. On 8 July, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that employers taking on new apprentices will receive an extra £2,000 for every new apprentice they hire under 25, or £1500 for new apprentices above that age. This is in addition to the existing £1,000 grants for each 16 to 18-year-old apprentice taken on.

On 1 June, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) published its Industry Recovery Plan. Employment and skills in the construction sector are identified as a priority, and a focus of the ‘Restart’ phase of the Plan is to maximise employment opportunities. Apprenticeships, and how the construction sector maintains and takes on future apprentices, is a crucial part of this, and it is at the forefront of the CLC’s agenda.

The Government has welcomed the Plan and is collaborating with the CLC and industry to ensure that the proposals are implemented.