Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Skills Funding Agency on that body’s proposal to reduce 16-18 apprenticeship funding.

Robert Halfon

The department and the Skills Funding Agency have worked closely together on the development of the apprenticeships funding policy and plans for implementation, including on the digital apprenticeship service.

We have engaged thousands of employers and training providers throughout the development of the apprenticeship funding reforms and continue to do so. This engagement helped to shape the funding policy proposals for England from May 2017, published on 12 August.

A survey seeking detailed views from employers and providers closed on 5 September, and the feedback will inform the final policy, which we aim to publish in October.