Education and Skills Bill

My information is that the proportion of apprenticeships at level 3 has remained at around 30 per cent in recent years. However, I will look at the specific point raised by the noble Baroness and see if I have any further information. The information I have is that the level 3 proportion is holding up. Given the increase in the number of apprenticeships over the past 10 years, plus the improvement in the completion rate, we believe that our ambitions in respect of apprenticeships are realistic. The apprenticeship review was jointly published by my right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 January. It not only restated our intention to put in place an apprenticeship entitlement for every suitably qualified young person who wants one by the time this legislation comes into effect, but also introduced other reforms to improve the regime for apprenticeships including, crucially, the creation of a new national apprenticeship service, which will provide a single point of advice and guidance for any employer interested in apprenticeships, alongside the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network, which we hope will continue its good work in promoting apprenticeships to employers. But I accept the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, that the public sector has an important part to play in this too and its contribution will be fully galvanised by the national apprenticeship service. We are also looking for a more flexible and responsive model for apprenticeships to be developed by the national apprenticeship service. Employers will be allowed to submit their own frameworks for funding by drawing from a sector skills council bank of qualifications. All apprentice experience will be recognised as an apprenticeship, meaning that apprenticeship training that does not rely on public funds will still be recorded and recognised and, as the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, said, more apprenticeships will be delivered through Train to Gain, which is the Government’s primary skills service for employers in England. Taking all these factors into account and in the light of the remarkable growth that we have seen in apprenticeships in the past 10 years—both in overall numbers and in completions—we believe that the goals we have set are realistic. The commitments that come in for apprenticeships alongside the raising of the education and training participation age make this increase credible.