Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the rates of young people in the UK forging careers in the farming industry.

The department has introduced T Levels which will provide students with a high quality, technical alternative to A levels after GCSEs. T Levels in Agriculture, Land Management & Production and Animal Care & Management will be available from September 2023.

We are committed to supporting more young people into apprenticeships in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sectors. Funding for apprenticeships in England will grow to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support more apprenticeships in employers of all sizes. There are currently 40 high-quality, employer-designed apprenticeship standards available in these sectors, in occupations such as crop technician, livestock unit technician and agriculture professional adviser. Alongside this, there are a number of land-based providers delivering specific provision in farming and agriculture to cater for those pursing qualifications and careers in these areas.

The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications, including 18 agricultural qualifications, for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job.

The Careers & Enterprise Company is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice and guidance, so young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the agricultural, forestry and fishing sectors. This will be delivered through the national roll-out of Career Hubs, Career Leader training, and the Enterprise Adviser Network.

The National Careers Service, a free, government funded careers information, advice and guidance service draws on a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. It is impartial, and careers guidance is tailored to individual needs, but careers advisers can play a key role in alerting people to the range of farming careers available. National Careers Service supports this through disseminating regular information to careers advisers.

The Service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles including include a range of roles in the farming industry, describing what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes.