Tag: apprenticeships

Bishop of Coventry raises importance of apprenticeships and vocational training in debate on skills

The Bishop of Coventry spoke in a debate on skills, vocational training, and further and higher education on 3rd September 2026, highlighting apprenticeships and vocational pathways as overlooked areas in helping young people into work:

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: My Lords, I welcome the Government’s renewed focus on technical education, youth employment and regional growth. Vocational and technical education can be one of the strongest levers for social mobility, but only where it is genuinely accessible to those who face the greatest barriers. On numerous occasions over the past 30 years of ministry, I have seen young people thrive and flourish into work due to the investment of colleges and businesses working together to enable this to happen.

Although there have been many reasons to be encouraged during my tenure so far in Coventry, it was deeply discouraging to learn of this year’s 9% GCSE attainment gap between London and my region, the West Midlands. If we are serious about opportunity in our nation, we must ensure that high-quality technical pathways are available to all young people wherever they live and not only in areas that already benefit from stronger educational outcomes. I believe that we cannot develop high-level apprenticeships at the expense of levels 2 to 4. These entry-level routes are often the vital first step towards skilled employment and further progression.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about financial viability of apprenticeships

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 28th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to make apprenticeships more financially viable for young people and their families.

Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab, DfE): I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 6 January 2025 to Question HL3616(opens in a new tab).

Hansard

Bishop of Newcastle asks about effects of loneliness on food bank usage, and financial viability of apprenticeships for young people

The Bishop of Newcastle receive the following written answers on 6th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address loneliness and social isolation as a root cause of foodbank usage following a recent report published by the Centre for Social Justice which found that over twice as many people who use foodbanks feel lonely most of the time compared to other adults.

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Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill: Bishop of Leeds urges improvements to apprenticeship levy

On 22nd October 2024, the Bishop of Leeds spoke at the second reading of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill, calling for improvements to the apprenticeship levy, thereby incentivising small and medium-sized enterprises to hire apprentices and expanding opportunities for the most vulnerable young adults and learners:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare. I realise that I stand in the way of the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Beamish, which I look forward to hearing shortly. I shall try to be brief.

I support the Bill in principle, and certainly the ambition behind it—and I certainly understand the logic behind it. A number of questions have already been raised about it that will need some careful addressing and answering if the House is to be confident about what is proposed. I want to focus on the FE sector, which has been facing some difficulty in recent years—facing the uncertainty while awaiting the outcome of the Government’s pause and review of level 3 qualifications, deals with FE pay being considered separately from the ongoing negotiations for the recently resurrected School Support Staff Negotiating Body, and faces up to the impact of sustained cuts and falls in funding in real terms. But FE is doing amazing work, particularly with particular sectors of our young people.

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Bishop of London asks about healthcare apprenticeships

The Bishop of London asked a question on funding to backfill roles left open by uptake of apprenticeships by those working in the healthcare sector on 27th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I welcome both the Government’s efforts to make apprenticeships more accessible to ensure that people can be supported into key occupations and the expansion of this into the health service, especially with the recent NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. In healthcare professions, cover is required for apprentices’ roles when they are studying. Those apprentices are often on full-time salaries, so backfilled funding will have to be found to ensure that those workplaces can cope. As this cannot be covered by the apprenticeship levy, what support are the Government offering to ensure that those apprenticeship routes can be successful?

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Bishop of Derby asks about role of careers advice in numbers of apprenticeships taken on

Th Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 27th November 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of careers advice in increasing the number of apprenticeships taken on.

Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): There is encouraging evidence that careers advice is increasing young people’s awareness of apprenticeships and other technical options. In the 2022/23 academic year, 92% of schools reported that most students had information about the full range of apprenticeships. 86% of schools reported that most students had meaningful encounters with further education colleges. In a 2021/22 survey of 35,000 young people, responses show that awareness of apprenticeships doubles from 39% in year 7 to 81% by year 11.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about regulations on apprenticeships

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all apprenticeships receive the mandated off-the-job training entitlement.

Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): The government has made significant reforms to the quality of apprenticeships to ensure they meet the needs of employers and bring wider benefits to the country and the economy. Apprenticeships have a minimum 12-month duration with more training (minimum 20% off-the-job) and are more rigorous and credible with employer led standards and independent end-point assessments.

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Votes: Skills and Post-16 Education Bill

On 21st October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill in the report stage. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:

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Bishop of Winchester asks whether employers are using apprenticeship funding for new recruits

On 3rd November 2020 Lord Haskel asked the Government “what steps they are taking (1) to rationalise the number of, and (2) to set standards for, qualifications to ensure that such qualifications are of value to (a) individuals, and (b) employers.” The Bishop of Winchester asked a further question:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester [V]: My Lords, a recent survey of apprenticeship employers published by the Department for Education indicates that employers see higher apprenticeships as better value for money than lower level 2 and 3 apprenticeships, so they are utilising levy funds to upskill existing staff, rather than to train new recruits. Can the Minister confirm what plans Her Majesty’s Government have to prevent further decline in level 2 apprenticeships to ensure that these apprenticeship pathways are available to new recruits across the country? Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks whether employers are using apprenticeship funding for new recruits”

Bishop of Durham asks Government about training and apprenticeship funding for disadvantaged students

On 21st July Lord Aberdare asked Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to ensure that the young people due to leave school in the current academic year are prepared for work in a post-COVID-19 environment; and what changes they have made to careers support and guidance provision to achieve this”. The Rt Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, asked a follow up question focusing on funding for training and apprenticeships.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, the Social Mobility Commission recently published an apprenticeships report, which highlighted a 36% reduction in the number of apprenticeship starters who were from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As we prioritise developing the skills of young people, can the Minister confirm how the new £1.6 billion funding for scaling up training and apprenticeships will be distributed across the country to ensure that areas such as the north-east with a high proportion of disadvantaged students have access to quality training?

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