Education and Skills Bill

That was a commendably succinct contribution. Since 1997, apprenticeship starts have increased from 65,000 to 180,000 in 2006-07 and are projected to grow to almost 210,000 by 2010-11. I acknowledge what the noble Baroness said, that the overall number of apprentices in learning declined slightly in the past year. However, this needs to be seen in the context of very significant improvements in completion; it is completed apprenticeships that carry most value. The number of apprenticeship completions has risen from barely 40,000 in 2001-02 to nearly 100,000 in the current year. This represents a rising completion rate from 24 per cent.