Tag: Gordon Marsden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what role the UK Commission for Employment and Skills will have in 2016 in monitoring or contributing to the programmes to increase the number of apprenticeships and traineeships set out in his Department’s document, English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, published in December 2015.

Nick Boles

UKCES’s main support for the Department in respect of English Apprenticeships in 2016 is its ongoing work to map the new apprenticeship standards against frameworks and Standard Occupational Classification codes to help identify the remaining gaps in standards coverage.

As announced in the 2015 Spending Review, in order to prioritise funding to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms, Whitehall Departments will be withdrawing their funding for UKCES during 2016-17. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is working with UKCES and other stakeholders to manage the implications of this decision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much of the funding under the European Social Fund programme assigned to his Department he expects to allocate in the current funding round.

Anna Soubry

The Skills Funding Agency, one of the partner organisations of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, has secured approximately £725,624,976 including administration costs from the European Social Fund (ESF) on behalf of 38 Local Enterprise Partnership areas. The Skills Funding Agency is currently procuring learning and skills activity identified by local areas. These funds are profiled to be spent by end March 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2016 to Question 25976, what discussions his officials have had with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the mechanisms for implementing the Prime Minister’s commitment of April 2015 to use the proceeds from the £227 million fine imposed on Deutsche Bank to create a new three-year fund to create 50,000 apprenticeships.

Greg Hands

As we have said previously, this government will be spending twice as much in cash terms on apprenticeships by 2020 compared to 2010. Spending on apprenticeships in England will be £2.5bn in 2019-20. The BIS spending review settlement for apprenticeships reflects the government’s commitment regarding the proceeds of the Libor fine the FCA announced in April 2015. Further announcements that support the government’s commitment to delivering employment opportunities for young people will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the three million apprenticeships planned by 2020 are expected to be at (a) degree and (b) masters level.

Nick Boles

The Department does not currently publish forecasts for Apprenticeship starts by level. Information on the actual number of Apprenticeship starts reported to date, by individual level, is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release (second link).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509999/apprenticeships-starts-by-framework-type-and-level.xls

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-04-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to agree a budget settlement for the apprenticeship levy for the devolved nations of the UK.

Greg Hands

We have committed to ensuring that the Devolved Administrations each receive a fair share of the levy. Discussions with the Devolved Administrations are ongoing and good progress is being made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what definition of the degree apprenticeship his Department uses in its work on that proposal.

Nick Boles

A degree apprenticeship is an approved English apprenticeship where one of the outcomes of the apprenticeship standard is a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree awarded by the university where the apprentice undertook their academic study.

Degree Apprenticeships policy is still under development within the existing legal framework.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on the effect of existing legislation on overseas students on steps to increase the number of international students studying in the UK.

Joseph Johnson

Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills meet with Home Office officials and representatives from the education sector on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues related to international students studying in the UK.

The Government is fully committed to controlling migration and supporting the global competiveness of our higher education system. We are delivering this through promoting our universities as places where the brightest and the best of the world’s talent should come to study, whilst tackling immigration abuse where it exists in our education system.

There remains no cap on the number of genuine international students who can come to study in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a statement about the implications for apprenticeship take-up by 16 to 18 year olds of her Department’s proposals for changes in funding rates for colleges and providers, published on 12 August 2016.

Robert Halfon

Apprenticeships are paid jobs that give young people the chance to reach their potential; acquire transferable skills much valued in the labour market and the apprentice does not have to contribute to the costs of their learning.

Our proposals for how apprenticeships will be paid for in England in the future include incentives for employers taking on younger apprentices – providing a £1,000 cash payment to both the employer and training provider to help with the extra costs of supporting apprentices in this age group and funding 100 per cent of apprenticeship training costs for small employers (with fewer than 50 staff) when they employ 16-18 year old apprentices.

In addition to apprenticeships, our funding priorities focus on providing young adults with the skills they need for sustainable work, including through traineeships; skills training for unemployed adults and English and maths for all those who need it, recognising that these are essential requirements for sustainable employment.

We are encouraging a wide range of people into apprenticeships – our ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign is aimed at 14-24 year-olds, their parents, teachers and employers. This major four-year campaign aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities.

The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, including on the benefits of apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether hon. Members are always informed when a post-16 area-based review is announced for an area which includes their constituency.

Nick Boles

Yes. The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will advise Hon. Membersas a matter of course when reviews are due to be undertaken in any part of their constituency.

Area reviews should take place as quickly as possible, the typical timescale being 3-4 months but this could vary depending on the number of colleges and complexity of the local issues involved.

The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Their purpose is not to secure savings to Government. However, early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.

All applications to open a free school, academy, school sixth form or university technical college will be assessed on a case by case basis against the published criteria and taking account of local needs and circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how long the process of undertaking a post-16 area-based review will take in each area for which they are planned or already underway.

Nick Boles

Yes. The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will advise Hon. Membersas a matter of course when reviews are due to be undertaken in any part of their constituency.

Area reviews should take place as quickly as possible, the typical timescale being 3-4 months but this could vary depending on the number of colleges and complexity of the local issues involved.

The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Their purpose is not to secure savings to Government. However, early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.

All applications to open a free school, academy, school sixth form or university technical college will be assessed on a case by case basis against the published criteria and taking account of local needs and circumstances.