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1468057

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Work Experience: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to help increase the number of work experience opportunities targeted at people with a disability.
	tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
	tabling member printed	Holly Mumby-Croft
	uin	13852
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2022 answer text <p>The government is committed to ensuring that all learners, including learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life and to develop the skills needed to get good jobs.</p><p>The department knows that with the right preparation and support, the overwhelming majority of young people with SEND are capable of sustained, paid employment. All professionals working with them should share that presumption and should provide the career advice and support that help young people to develop the skills and experience, and achieve the qualifications, that they need to succeed in their careers.</p><p>The government is committed to supporting pathways to employment for learners with SEND, including strengthening the Supported Internship programme, which is a structured, work-based study programme for 16 to 24-year-olds with SEND, who have an education, health, and care plan. The core aim of the programme is a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach. To support this, the department is investing up to £18 million over the next three years, aiming to double the capacity of the programme.</p><p>The careers statutory guidance makes it clear that schools should offer work placements, work experience, and other employer-based activities as part of their careers strategy for year 8-13 pupils and that secondary schools should offer every young person at least seven encounters with employers during their education.</p><p>All schools and colleges are expected to work towards the Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance. This includes experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience and ensuring opportunities for advice and support are tailored to the needs of each pupil.</p><p>The Careers &amp; Enterprise Company is supporting schools and colleges to make links with employers and increase the opportunities for all young people to engage with the world of work.</p><p>The department have also introduced T Levels, high-quality technical qualifications for 16–19-year-olds that include a meaningful 9-week industry placement. We have introduced flexibilities to help as many SEND students as possible to access T Level industry placements, including allowing up to 105 hours of their placement to take place on the provider’s site, for example, an on-site restaurant. This will enable students to prepare for their placement with an external employer, alongside pastoral support.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 15/06/2022 12:35:02 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4867 label Biography information for Holly Mumby-Croft

1357506

	registered interest
	date	22/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Warwickshire College: Closures
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Board of Warwickshire College Group on their policy on site closures.
	tabling member constituency	West Worcestershire
	tabling member printed	Harriett Baldwin
	uin	53234
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>The Board of Warwickshire College Group (trading as WCG) has a legal duty as charitable trustees to act in the best interest of the corporation and maximise the value of surplus assets. Decisions made by the board are expected to be in line with their Estates Strategy and Space Management Policy. The Education and Skills Funding Agency nor the Department for Education have the powers to influence the board’s decision on individual site closures.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 22/10/2021 11:26:53 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin

1436655

	registered interest
	date	28/02/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Guidance: Theatre
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with schools to promote technical theatre skills as a valid career path.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	131274
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2022 answer text <p>The department works with The Careers &amp; Enterprise Company to support schools and colleges to embed best practice so that young people are aware of the full range of careers, including technical theatre roles, and have access to meaningful encounters with a range of employers and workplaces.</p><p>The department funds Careers Hubs which lead partnerships of secondary schools, colleges, employers, Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities, and careers providers to help young people connect closely to local skills and economic needs through a responsive careers education programme. Through this network, schools can make links with employers from a wide range of sectors who are working with schools and colleges to improve careers education to help young people make informed choices and develop the skills they need and employers want.</p><p>Employers can register their interest to support schools and colleges, for example through the Enterprise Adviser Network or as a Cornerstone Employer, via The Careers &amp; Enterprise Company’s website. This website is available here: <a href="https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers/become-a-cornerstone-employer/" target="_blank">https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/employers/become-a-cornerstone-employer/</a>. Cornerstone Employers are a flagship group of employers from a range of sectors that work with networks of schools and colleges to improve careers education and make sure key skills for their sector are understood by teachers and education leaders.</p><p>In addition, The National Careers Service, a free, government-funded careers information, advice and guidance service draws on a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them, including ‘Explore Careers’ which has information on more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles. This includes a range of technical theatre roles, describing what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 08/03/2022 12:57:23 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1437449

	registered interest
	date	02/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Guidance: STEM Subjects
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people in every region of the UK have access to STEM specific careers provision.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
	tabling member printed	Alex Norris
	uin	133262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2022 answer text <p>We know that supporting schools to deliver science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers education is important so that young people are aware of the full range of careers associated with STEM subjects.</p><p>We work with The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges in England to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, the government’s careers framework. Gatsby Benchmark 4, linking curriculum learning to careers, is particularly relevant. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career pathways.</p><p>Gatsby Benchmark 5, encounters with employers and employees, sets out that schools should give pupils access to meaningful encounters with a range of employers and workplaces. Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers. These interactions open young people’s eyes to a range of different career possibilities and can challenge stereotypes as well as helping to prepare them for the workplace.</p><p>The CEC provide resources to support schools and colleges including a series of STEM toolkits, a relaunched STEM careers webpage with an increased focus on department funded resources, and several Careers Hubs are currently running innovative STEM focussed careers projects.</p><p>Education is a devolved matter, and approaches to careers education may differ in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 07/03/2022 11:46:00 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris

1455017

	registered interest
	date	28/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Guidance: STEM Subjects
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that young people in every region of the UK have access to STEM-specific careers provision.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	148185
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>Supporting schools to deliver science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related careers education is important, so that young people are aware of the full range of careers associated with STEM subjects.</p><p>The department works with The Careers &amp; Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges in England to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance, available here: <a href="https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance</a>. Gatsby Benchmark 4, linking curriculum learning to careers, is particularly relevant. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career pathways.</p><p>Gatsby Benchmark 5, encounters with employers and employees, sets out that schools should give pupils access to meaningful encounters with a range of employers and workplaces. Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers. These interactions open young people’s eyes to a range of different career possibilities, help prepare them for the workplace, and can challenge stereotypes.</p><p>The CEC provide resources to support schools and colleges. These include a series of STEM toolkits (with a guide for teachers on linking careers to the STEM curriculum), a relaunched STEM careers webpage with an increased focus on department funded resources, and innovative STEM focused careers projects run by several Careers Hubs.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 05/04/2022 09:39:00 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1364953

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Guidance: Publicity
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to promote awareness of vocational career routes in schools.
	tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
	tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
	uin	67262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2021 answer text <p>The department is determined to take action so that all young people can learn about the high-quality opportunities that technical education and apprenticeships can offer. Through the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, we aim to strengthen the Baker Clause so all pupils will have the opportunity to have encounters with providers of approved technical education and apprenticeships.</p><p>We expect to see schools setting up career events, assemblies and options evenings so that providers can talk to pupils about what they offer and what it is like to learn in a different environment. The school must prepare and publish a policy statement setting out the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to pupils and ensure that this is followed. The policy statement must include:</p><ul><li>Any procedural requirement in relation to requests for access</li><li>Grounds for granting and refusing requests for access</li><li>Details of premises or facilities provided to a person who is given access</li></ul><p>As well as steps taken to ensure compliance with the Baker Clause, we are making sure that all government careers information is available in one place to enable people to make informed decisions on the education, training and employment options that are right for them. This will include information on routes into apprenticeships, including higher and degree apprenticeships, and T Levels via an improved course directory accessible via the National Careers Service website.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 08/11/2021 17:07:06 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1464236

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Guidance: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to amend careers guidance to require schools, colleges and local authorities to work together on specialist careers advice for disabled young people.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
	tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
	uin	4674
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2022 answer text <p>The department has published statutory guidance for schools and colleges on providing careers guidance and statutory guidance for local authorities on their duties relating to the participation of young people in education, employment or training. Both statutory guidance documents are clear about the important role that, to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, schools, colleges and local authorities must work together to ensure that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can access the careers advice that they need. By identifying those in need of targeted support, schools, colleges, local authorities and other agencies, can support disabled young people to make positive and well-informed choices and to participate in education or training.</p><p>Statutory guidance states that schools and colleges must co-operate with local authorities, who also have statutory functions in relation to supporting young people’s participation in education and training and an important role to play through their responsibilities for SEND support services.</p><p>The participation of young people in education, employment and training statutory guidance also states that local authorities should work with schools, colleges and other post-16 providers, as well as other agencies, to support young people to participate in education or training and to identify those in need of targeted support to help them make positive and well-informed choices.</p><p>The careers statutory guidance includes an expectation that schools and colleges will use the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance to develop and improve their careers programmes. The third benchmark focusses on addressing the individual needs of each student. We expect schools and colleges to tailor careers activities and educational goals to the needs of each student, taking account of their prior knowledge and skills, the choices and transitions they face and any additional support that may be needed to overcome barriers.</p><p>The department funds The Careers &amp; Enterprise Company (CEC) to increase young people’s exposure to the world of work and support schools and colleges to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks. The CEC runs a Community of Practice focused on inclusion. Schools, colleges and training providers work together to support each other in their local community to work with students from disadvantaged groups, including young people with SEND, through the sharing of good practice and the development of resources.</p><p>To help more young people with SEND get into great careers we are also taking action to improve careers guidance - providing support, resources and SEND specific training for Careers Leaders and Special Educational Needs Coordinators who design and deliver inspirational careers education programmes, tailored to the needs of young people with SEND.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 27/05/2022 10:36:11 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1402379

	registered interest
	date	12/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education: Swindon
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of vocational educational opportunities in Swindon.
	tabling member constituency	North Swindon
	tabling member printed	Justin Tomlinson
	uin	102619
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2022 answer text <p>We are investing £3.8 billion in further education and skills, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up.</p><p>We are introducing T Levels, boosting access to high quality technical education for thousands of 16-19 year olds. Young people in Swindon are now benefitting from these new qualifications, as New College Swindon began teaching T Levels in Digital, Education &amp; Childcare, Health and Science from September last year.</p><p>The department is also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer, including those at the start of their career or those looking to retrain. Funding for apprenticeships will grow to £2.7 billion by financial year 2024-25, delivering the first increase to employer-led apprenticeships funding since financial year 2019-20. We are also investing over £550 million by financial year 2024-25 to make sure adults can upskill to reach their potential, delivering on the National Skills Fund commitment.</p><p>The Free Courses for Jobs offer, launched in April 2021, gives adults the chance to access their first level 3 qualification for free. We have also recently announced that from April, any adult in England earning under the National Living Wage annually (£18,525) or unemployed, will also be able to access these qualifications for free, regardless of their prior qualification level. New Swindon College is amongst many training providers who have been allocated funding to deliver this offer.</p><p>Complementing this, Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. Skills Bootcamps are now available in areas across the country as well as online, covering digital, technical, construction, logistics (HGV driving), and green skills. In Swindon, Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving are currently available. We continue to expand Skills Bootcamps further, and more courses will become available across England over the next few months.</p><p>We are also launching Multiply, a new £560 million programme to help people improve their basic numeracy skills through free digital training, flexible courses and tutoring. Launching in Spring 2022, the Multiply programme is in addition to the England-wide statutory entitlement for numeracy and will give people who don’t have at least a GCSE Grace C/4 or equivalent in maths, access to free new flexible courses to improve their maths skills. This will include a new website with bitesize training and online tutorials, as well as flexible courses.</p><p>Apprenticeships have long been a growth area for New College Swindon and in September 2021, the college opened the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology, with a mission to be a high-quality employer-led training facility delivering high level technical and digital skills training for young people and to those already in employment.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 18/01/2022 17:17:31 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson

1357178

	registered interest
	date	21/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education: Qualifications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on students of removing funding for certain BTEC qualifications.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Riverside
	tabling member printed	Kim Johnson
	uin	52620
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/09/2021 answer text <p>Employers are facing a skills shortage that we must act to address. It is vital in a fast moving and high-tech economy that we close the gap between what people study and the needs of employers. This is why we are introducing over 20 T Levels and are strengthening the routes to progress into skilled employment or further study with high quality qualifications that are fit for the future. T Levels are challenging qualifications developed with 250 leading employers. They include a meaningful nine-week industry placement and will equip more young people with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to access skilled employment or further training.</p><p>We set out the qualifications we intend to fund alongside A levels and T Levels at level 3 in July 2021. We are clear that any qualifications that are funded to be taken alongside or instead of A levels or T Levels must be high quality and lead to good outcomes. We will fund level 3 BTECs and/or other Applied General or similar qualifications where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that T Levels and A levels cannot provide. These must meet new quality criteria to be approved for funding.</p><p>We have been clear that we expect the changes to be generally positive as students will have access to higher quality qualifications in the future, including new T Levels. This will put students in a stronger position to progress onto further study or skilled employment.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart grouped question UIN 52619 question first answered 29/09/2021 15:00:03 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4824 label Biography information for Kim Johnson

1416344

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2022
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education: Qualifications
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the value of technical qualifications.
	tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
	tabling member printed	Dr Kieran Mullan
	uin	111757
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/02/2022 answer text <p>The government is reforming technical education to ensure that all post-16 students have access to technical options that support progression and meet employer needs. Our reforms will simplify and put employers at the heart of the system, ensuring that all qualifications are fit for purpose, high-quality and lead to good outcomes.</p><p>We are introducing over 20 T Levels, developed with over 250 leading employers. We are investing in direct support for employers to increase the number of industry placements available across all T Levels and have also established a T Level employer ambassador network to engage with others in their industries on T Levels and placements. We want all technical qualifications to be high quality and truly necessary, which is why we are reviewing all other technical qualifications at level 3 and below to create a better, more streamlined system.</p><p>While these reforms are taking place, we have introduced a high value course premium for 16-19 year olds to encourage the take up of high value subjects. In December 2021 we announced that the premium will increase by 50% in the 2022-23 financial year to £600 per student per year.</p><p>For adults we are introducing of Higher Technical Qualifications, approved through a new opt-in national approvals process as meeting employers’ skills needs. The first of these newly approved qualifications will be available for teaching from September 2022. This will be supported by the new £18 million Higher Technical Education Provider Growth Fund and the investment of up to £290 million to establish a comprehensive network of Institutes of Technology across England.</p> answering member constituency Brentwood and Ongar answering member printed Alex Burghart question first answered 01/02/2022 17:49:58 answering member 4613 label Biography information for Alex Burghart
	tabling member	4860 label Biography information for Dr Kieran Mullan