Asked by Lord Addington To ask Her Majesty’s Government
whether only students with education, health and care plans are
regarded as having the need for support when undertaking an
apprenticeship; and if so, why. Lord Addington (LD) I
beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order
Paper and draw the House’s...Request free trial
Asked by
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(LD)
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the
Order Paper and draw the House’s attention to my declared
interests.
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Education (Lord Agnew of Oulton) (Con)
My Lords, ensuring that apprenticeships are open to people
from a wide range of backgrounds is a priority for this
Government. We provide specific financial support and
flexibility for apprenticeships with education, health and
care plans. We also provide support to care leavers, 16 to
18 year-olds and those in disadvantaged areas. In addition,
training providers can access additional learning support
for a wider group of learners with learning difficulties
and disabilities.
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My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. Is he aware
that the British Dyslexia Association is discovering that
only those who have the plans are having training provided
for them and that all the training units that are going
through are being concentrated on this group? The plan
itself is designed for about 3% of the population who are
taking this, and 12% have learning disabilities of some
description. That means that 9% of those taking this are
not getting support. Is this sensible?
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of Oulton
My Lords, there is a range of broader supports available to
apprentices with learning difficulties who are not
necessarily on an education, health and care plan. There
are four particular areas that are broader: they are not
just for apprentices but are appropriate for apprentices.
First, there is a legal duty on employers and providers to
take account of any reasonable adjustments, such as extra
time needed in exams. There is additional learning support,
initially of £150 a month, but this can be increased
through the earnings adjustment statement, up to £19,000 a
year, assessed by the training provider and approved by the
ESFA. There is a programme called Access to Work which
involves, in particular, a letter from the Department for
Work and Pensions given to the individual with a disability
to give to his or her employer, and this can provide
financial support of up to £42,000 a year to help with
holding down a job.
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(CB)
My Lords, apprenticeships are in many ways perfect for
people with learning disabilities, because they provide a
chance for someone to show what they can do with a
supportive employer. Indeed, Mencap has recently taken on
seven such apprentices. However, barriers persist,
including the English and maths part of the qualification.
Does the Minister agree that we need to ensure that the
appropriate flexibilities apply here, too, as so many
people will not be able to meet those requirements?
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of Oulton
My Lords, we are taking a flexible approach to these areas
and we have recently announced, for those with learning
disabilities and difficulties, that there will be
additional time allowed for specific subjects including
maths and English. We will also take into account the lower
level of attainment needed, as long as it does not impinge
upon that particular apprenticeship.
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(Lab)
My Lords, care leavers are among the most vulnerable groups
of young people in the country, with 40% not in education,
employment or training by early adulthood. Part of the
reason, notwithstanding what the Minister said about
support for care leavers, is the inadequacy of proper
support to enable them to take up training opportunities.
Care leavers can get a bursary if they attend
university—but not if they undertake an apprenticeship.
Will the Minister acknowledge the need for an
apprenticeships bursary to provide additional support for
care leavers and at the same time give a government
commitment to parity between higher education on the one
hand and further education and apprenticeships on the
other?
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of Oulton
My Lords, through the SEND reforms we have introduced since
2014 we have made available more than £220 million to help.
This includes a package of £20 million for councils, £9
million to establish local supported internship forums and
£4.5 million for parent carer forums. In the Children and
Families Act 2014 we included the FE sector in a single
SEND system. We put four duties onto the sector: to have
regard to the SEND code of practice; to use best endeavours
to meet special educational needs; to co-operate with the
local authority; and to admit a young person if the college
is named by the local authority.
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(Con)
My Lords, can my noble friend say how the Government are
monitoring and evaluating the quality of apprenticeship
schemes? How are women and ethnic minorities being
encouraged into the higher-paid and better-trained
apprenticeship schemes?
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of Oulton
My Lords, at the heart of the reforms that we have
introduced over the past year has been listening to the
needs of employers: they have a strong voice in the way in
which the apprenticeship courses are created. We now have a
system of standards that has a much higher level of rigour
than existed beforehand. We have end-point assessments,
which mean that employers are able to see that the quality
of individual apprenticeships is to a standard that meets
their needs. This is assisted by the new institute that we
have created, the Institute for Apprenticeships, which has
a direct mandate to listen to employers. In relation to
disadvantaged groups in society, one of the most impressive
statistics is that there are 530,000 more disabled people
in work today than in 2014.
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(Lab)
My Lords, do the Government provide any apprenticeships for
Ministers before they are appointed to the Lords?
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of Oulton
My Lords, unfortunately not—and I speak from experience.
More broadly, the Government have mandated that 2.3% of all
employees who go into government should come from
apprenticeships, and are leading the charge in the
programme. I was not one of them, unfortunately.
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(LD)
My Lords, there seems to be some inconsistency between the
theory of the Minister’s replies and the practice that we are
hearing about from those who work with these people. As the
noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, said, many who find English and
maths difficult have the practical skills that we really need
in apprenticeships, and the country has an acute skills
shortage. Will the Minister say what is being done by the
Government to address the inconsistencies in support for
these people across the country?
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of Oulton
My Lords, we are very conscious that many able people
struggle with maths and English. I come from a family of
seven children; only two of us managed maths O-level, so I am
very sympathetic on that. But we have made available
additional skills training. There are individual courses
where additional funding of up to £471 a course is available.
As I mentioned earlier, there is the facility to have extra
time in exams. Through some of the areas of support that I
referred to in response to the supplementary question of the
noble Lord, , there is
additional funding for things such as equipment needed for
British Sign Language, for example, or more technical
equipment for other disabled apprentices.
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