Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools of 7 January 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1473, on Report Stage of the Children and Families Bill, what funds have been allocated by his Department to assist training providers and award organisations to ensure that apprentices who have previously failed key skills due to a lack of support are able to sit a new functional skills test; and when such apprentices can expect to be able to site a new functional skills test.
Answer
[holding answer 4 February 2014]: The Skills Funding Agency provides funding to enable all apprentices to achieve the level of English and maths to meet the requirements of their apprenticeship framework. Therefore, any apprentice who previously failed their key skills would be eligible to be funded for functional skills in order that they achieve their apprenticeship framework. Providers are able to use their existing allocations to fund these qualifications, and should speak to the awarding organisation offering the qualification to see when the next assessment window is for their apprentice to take the relevant test.
The Agency provides additional funding to support those apprentices that require additional support to achieve their functional skills or apprenticeship framework because of learning difficulties or disabilities.