Tag: vocational education

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 Leicester speaks in debate on skills and vocational training

The Bishop of Leicester spoke in a debate on skills, vocational training, and further and higher education on 3rd September 2026, raising the importance of volunteering opportunities as pathways into work and social engagement for young people:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan, for securing this debate. I also express my gratitude to Alan Milburn and his team for firmly putting the number of young people out of education, employment and training on the political agenda. I think there is real cross-party consensus on the need to address what Alan Milburn was right to call a “moral crisis” facing our young people today. I sincerely hope that when the second part of his review is published, his recommendations will be taken seriously. Mr Milburn referred to the drivers behind rising NEET rates as a whole-system crisis; I would go further and characterise it as a whole-society crisis. There is an important role for community organisations to play—whether they are faith groups, uniformed groups, sports clubs or youth clubs—and for all of us as neighbours, friends and mentors to young people.

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Bishop of Chester asks about investment in vocational partnerships and education

The Bishop of Chester asked a question on investment in vocational partnerships in prisons during a discussion on prison education on 24th February 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Chester: I was encouraged by the Minister’s previous comments. I was going to ask about vocational education and whether the impact of that is being measured. Clearly, all education matters. At a recent visit to HMP Styal, I was particularly impressed by the work of The Clink, which sadly has shut after 10 years. How can the Government invest better in partnerships in that vocational sphere?

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Bishop of Durham asks about reforms to technical education in the North East

On 8th November 2017 the Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, received a written answer to a question about technical education in the north east:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of the proposed reform of technical education in the North East. Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about reforms to technical education in the North East”

Church Commissioners Written Answer: Apprentices

On 30th June 2014, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the Rt Hon Sir Tony Baldry MP, answered a written question on behalf of the Church Commissioners, on the subject of apprentices.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many apprentices the Church Commissioners have employed in the last 12 months.

Tony Baldry MPSir Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners currently directly employ one member of staff on an apprenticeship scheme; this role is designed to give experience of supporting the administrative work of the national institutional structures of the Church of England. There is an intention to roll out apprenticeships more widely should this trial proves successful.

Within the Church of England, there are jobs and opportunities for skilled professionals and their students to undertake apprenticeships, training, or conservation work on and within its buildings, stone/carpentry yards and stained glass workshops choir and organ schools.

There are also some more informal apprenticeship and paid internship opportunities within the local and national structures that are organised locally by those concerned.

(via Parliament.uk)

Apprenticeships – Written Questions

On 6th May 2014, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, recieved answers to two written questions on the subject of apprenticeships.

14.03 Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of apprentices enter into employment with the company to which they were apprenticed after their apprenticeship scheme has finished.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We publish information on learning outcomes on the Further Education Choices website to help better inform learner choices. This website presents information on learner outcomes with any employer as well as other destinations:

http://fechoices.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk

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Bishop of Derby takes part in debate on apprenticeships

On 28th November 2013, the Bishop of Derby took part in Baroness Wilcox’ debate on what action the Government are taking to increase the take-up of apprenticeships among young people. In his speech, he spoke of the need for education to assist in the development of good citizens and a high-calibre workforce based on vocation. He also raised the importance of employees being bale to train the right people for the right roles and the need to ensure that all young people have access to employment.
Bishop of DerbyThe Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, on securing this debate on this very important theme. The Richards review and the statement by the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise make clear that there are three areas that we need to look at and hold together.

The first is the big context about the importance of using education and training, of which apprenticeship is part, to make good citizens and a proper workforce for the 21st century. That is the theme of vocation: developing people to have a sustainable working life. The second area is the need for employers to be able to train and recruit the kind of people they need for their particular industry. The third area is the fact that there are a large number of young people who lack the opportunity to engage with the world of work. Those three themes frame this debate. Continue reading “Bishop of Derby takes part in debate on apprenticeships”