Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow all employers to use their apprenticeship levy funds to tackle labour shortages.

The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms, supporting employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training, and helping employers address industry labour shortages by building the skilled workforces they need.

Employers can already choose from over 640 high-quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards, at all levels and in all sectors of the economy, to meet their skills needs and develop a diverse pipeline of talent for the future. The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education continues to work with employers to develop new apprenticeship standards where there is an employer demand.

The department is encouraging more employers to make greater use of their levy funds by helping them choose more flexible training models, such as accelerated and flexi-job apprenticeships, so that employers in all sectors can benefit from apprenticeships and apprentices can hit the ground running from day one.

We continue to make improvements to the apprenticeship levy transfer system to make it easier for large employers to make full use of their levy funds and support starts in their supply chain, sector, or local area, and to support more employers, including small-medium-sized employers, to meet local or sectorial skills needs.

We also provide £1,000 payments to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged between 16 and 18 years old, helping to support younger people into apprenticeships.