16-19 Bursary Fund: Apprentices

(asked on 22nd June 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to apprentices.


Answered by
Baroness Barran Portrait
Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This question was answered on 6th July 2022

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund targets support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people who need help with the costs of staying in post-16 education and training.

The department has no plans to extend the qualifying criteria to include apprentices, because they are employed and in receipt of a wage. Apprenticeships are paid jobs allowing people to earn while they learn, gaining the necessary knowledge and skills needed to progress, or start an exciting career in a variety of industries.

The department continues to provide £1,000 to both employers and providers when they take on 16 to 18 year-old apprentices and 19 to 24 year-old apprentices with an education, health and care plan.

To support apprentices with living costs, employers may offer work benefits such as travel loans, or company equipment such as a phone or a car and in some cases offer relocation allowance.

The department recognises that young care-experienced apprentices, usually living independently, are more likely to struggle with living costs while on an apprenticeship. For this reason, in 2018 the department introduced a £1,000 bursary for care leavers on apprenticeships.

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