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1666155

registered interest
date	19/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Basic Skills
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve rates of adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	203495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2023 answer text <p>This government is committed to supporting people to climb the ladder of opportunity towards better jobs, better wellbeing and better options for the future.</p><p>To enable this, the department recognises the importance of literacy and numeracy skills, both in work and everyday life. Securing good levels of literacy and numeracy increases individual productivity, improves earnings and employment opportunities, supports economic growth and breaks cycles of intergenerational economic and social disadvantage. That is why the department is continuing to support participation in English and maths provision through our ‘essential skills entitlements’ which provide the opportunity of free study for adults who do not have essential literacy and numeracy skills up to and including level 2.</p><p>Learners can undertake a range of courses fully funded through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), including GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2.</p><p>The department also supports training for adults in community settings through the AEB. Prioritised for disadvantaged learners, community learning can provide a 'stepping stone' for those adults who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way.</p><p>The department is also delivering Multiply, the government’s programme for improving adult numeracy, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the government’s flagship fund for supporting people and places across the UK. Up to £270 million is directly available for local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy.</p><p>The free courses for jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. The offer includes a number of qualifications in maths, for example a level 3 Certificate in Mathematical Studies.</p><p>In addition, Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Skills Bootcamps are available in a variety of skill areas, including digital, technical, construction, logistics (HGV driving), and skills that support the green economy.</p><p>The department is scaling up Skills Bootcamps delivery to 64,000 starts by the 2024/25 financial year through national procurement and grant funding to 28 Mayoral Combined Authorities and local areas.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 25/10/2023 12:30:13 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662867

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Unit for Future Skills
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings the Unit for Future Skills has held with external stakeholders in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>Since its launch in May 2022, the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has proactively set out to be outward facing and has met and worked with a wide variety of stakeholders across the skills system. As well as working across government departments to bring together data and evidence, the team have liaised with research and academic organisations, businesses and employer groups, training providers and local government.</p><p>The UFS External Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician, meets every quarter to provide challenge and external views to the UFS’s work, as well as expert support and guidance. The group has nine members including representatives from the West Midland Combined Authority, Unifrog, LinkedIn, Universities UK, the Association of Colleges, British Chamber of Commerce, the British Academy and two expert academics. The UFS also runs quarterly meetings with members of the devolved administrations who are working on similar skills and data issues.</p><p>The UFS regularly discusses its findings at the Department of Education’s Business meeting, involving MakeUK, the Federation of Small Businesses, British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute for Directors.</p><p>The UFS engages with target users on the development of its products. For example, the team set up working groups with Employer Representative Bodies to support in the development of the local skills dashboard.</p><p>The team also regularly meets with a variety of stakeholders on a one-to-one basis, as well as through events and conferences, including businesses and employer representative bodies, academics and research organisations, training providers and local and regional skills bodies.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 23/10/2023 14:46:16 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1663515

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Small Businesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship placements there were in SMEs in the (a) 2017-2018, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21, (e) 2021-22 and (f) 2022-23 academic year.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	201369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by enterprise size cover the 2012/13 to 2020/21 academic years, and are published on Explore Education Statistics at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics</a>.</p><p>Data for 2021/22 and 2022/23 will be published in June 2024 and June 2025, respectively.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 18/10/2023 16:13:25 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1663516

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of apprenticeship levy funds were transferred from levy-payers to non-levy payers in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 academic year.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	201370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>The Government, via HM Revenue and Customs, collects an apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with an annual payroll expenditure of more than £3 million. From this, HM Treasury sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved governments receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.</p><p>The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts for all employers of all sizes, both those who pay the levy and those who do not, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers, providers, and apprentices.</p><p>In the 2019/20 financial year, the apprenticeship budget was £2,469 million and total spend was £1,919 million. £650 million (34%) of this spend was directed to non-levy paying employers, including £3 million which was transferred directly by levy-paying employers via levy transfer. Of the £650 million, £451 million was spent on non-levy employer training and assessment costs and the remainder for additional payments such as English and maths support.</p><p>In the 2020/21 financial year, the apprenticeship budget was £2,467 million and total spend was £1,863 million. £557 million (30%) of this spend was directed to non-levy paying employers, including £16 million which was transferred directly by levy-paying employers via levy transfer. Of the £557 million, £403 million was spent on non-levy employer training and assessment costs and the remainder for additional payments..</p><p>In the 2021/22 financial year, the apprenticeship budget was £2,466 million and total spend was £2,455 million. £817 million (33%) of this spend was directed to non-levy paying employers, including £23 million which was transferred directly by levy-paying employers via levy transfer. Of the £817 million, £546 million was spent on non-levy employer training and assessment costs and the remainder for additional payments.</p><p>In 2022-23 financial year, the apprenticeship budget was £2,554 million and total spend was £2,458 million. £724 million (29%) of this spend was directed to non-levy paying employers, including £32 million which was transferred directly by levy-paying employers via levy transfer. Of the £724 million, £505 million was spent on non-levy employer training and assessment costs and the remainder for additional payments.</p><p>To note, the amount of annual funds that levy-paying employers can transfer from their levy account increased from 10% to 25% in April 2019.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 18/10/2023 16:17:18 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1663849

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	T-levels
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of students who started a T-level course in the 2021-22 academic year (a) completed the qualification, (b) transferred to a different qualification and (c) left education or training during the (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23 academic year.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	201702
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2023 answer text <p>The information requested will be published when fully available in early 2024.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 18/10/2023 16:16:03 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662132

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Lifetime Skills Guarantee
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in (a) full- and (b) part-time employment have used the Lifetime Skills Guarantee in each year since it was introduced.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The government publishes Further Education and Skills statistics at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills</a>. Data regarding whether employment is full or part time is not routinely available.</p><p>Two key elements of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee were Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs.</p><p>In March 2023 the department published an independent evaluation of Skills Bootcamps provision that was delivered in the 2021/22 financial year, that set out the employment status of learners. The evaluation is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-skills-bootcamps-wave-2-implementation-report" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-skills-bootcamps-wave-2-implementation-report</a>. It showed that for this year of provision:</p><ul><li>Two fifths of applicants (39%) and starts (37%) were in full-time employment prior to applying for, or starting, their Skills Bootcamp.</li><li>Nearly one in six applicants and starts (both 14%) were in part-time employment prior to applying for, or starting, their Skills Bootcamp.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The department is committed to publishing more data and evaluation reports for subsequent years of Skills Bootcamps provision, with ‘starts’ data for the 20222/23 financial year planned for publication by the end of the year.</p><p>The department also publishes data on the employment status of those completing Free Courses for Jobs but that is not broken down by whether someone is working full or part time: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4112d2de-145b-4708-1ab9-08dbb99e3fd8" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4112d2de-145b-4708-1ab9-08dbb99e3fd8</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 20/10/2023 13:16:24 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662133

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Employment Schemes: Zero Hours Contracts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has an assessment of the equity of opportunity of (a) the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and (b) other upskilling initiatives for people on zero hours contracts.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The department’s skills reforms aim to provide a ladder of opportunity for everyone to succeed, regardless of their background. The ladder has two pillars of reform: opportunities and social justice, which ensure equal opportunities and access to skills and education for all, regardless of background; and strengthening higher and further education, which is strengthening the post-16 system to foster exceptional teaching, high quality provision, well managed institutions, and value for money spending.</p><p>The government has a range of skills offers for adults available, including those on zero hours contracts including:</p><ul><li>Investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion in the 2022/23 funding year). The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.</li><li>The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. This offer allows eligible learners to access a high-value level 3 qualification for free, to gain higher wages and access new job opportunities which will include people who are on zero hours contracts. Adults are eligible on the offer if they do not already have a level 3 qualification or already have a level 3 qualification but are on low wage or unemployed.</li><li>Skills Bootcamps were introduced in 2020 to support adults to upskill and retrain in priority sectors with skills shortages, including Digital, HGV Driving, Construction and Green sectors. They are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the chance to build sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview at the end. Skills Bootcamps are open to adults aged 19 and over who are either in work, self-employed, unemployed or returning to work after a break. The independent evaluation highlighted that Skills Bootcamps are reaching a diverse range of individuals, granting free training opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible. Employers also felt that Skills Bootcamps helped to increase the diversity of their organisation.</li><li>The department is also delivering Multiply, which includes up to £270 million directly available for local areas in England to deliver interventions to improve adult numeracy.</li><li>Higher technical qualifications (HTQs) are being introduced to increase the profile, prestige and uptake of higher technical education. These are level 4 and 5 qualifications that are approved, and quality marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfATE) as providing the skills employers need. HTQs are a high-quality alternative to degrees and apprenticeships that lead to positive outcomes for learners. To support the delivery of HTQs, we have announced up to approximately £117 million of funding to prime higher technical provision across the country. To help HTQs be studied flexibly and around other commitments, from September 2023, learners studying HTQs will be eligible for both tuition fee and maintenance loans whether they are studied full or part-time, on the same basis as degree level courses. HTQs will be among the first courses eligible for modular funding when the Lifelong Learning Entitlement launches in the 2025/26 annual year.</li></ul> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 20/10/2023 12:41:36 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662134

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adult Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on adult education (a) participation and (b) outcomes by ethnic group since 2021.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The ethnicity of adult (19+) further education and skills learners (self-declared) is recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and published by the Department in the further education and skills statistics publication at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills</a>. Learner income is not recorded on the ILR. Participation by ethnicity group for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years is shown here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a35b0db5-e926-43b0-1a51-08dbb99e3fd8" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a35b0db5-e926-43b0-1a51-08dbb99e3fd8</a>. The full year figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in November 2023.</p><p>Further education outcomes are published annually, including employment and further learning destinations and earnings outcomes available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures</a>. Users can break down measures to view those of learners with specific ethnicities. The publication contains information on earnings post-learning but does not include breakdowns by learner income prior to or during learning.</p><p>The most recent published data relates to adult learners who achieved their qualification in the 2019/20 and their destinations in the following academic year. Outcomes by ethnic group for adults achieving in 2019/20 are shown here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/57c83f1d-2fbd-4999-5a54-08dbb9ac4483" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/57c83f1d-2fbd-4999-5a54-08dbb9ac4483</a>. Data for 2020/21 achievers will be available in November 2023.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 200575 question first answered 20/10/2023 11:04:34 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662135

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adult Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on adult education (a) participation and (b) outcomes by income since 2021.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The ethnicity of adult (19+) further education and skills learners (self-declared) is recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and published by the Department in the further education and skills statistics publication at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills</a>. Learner income is not recorded on the ILR. Participation by ethnicity group for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years is shown here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a35b0db5-e926-43b0-1a51-08dbb99e3fd8" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a35b0db5-e926-43b0-1a51-08dbb99e3fd8</a>. The full year figures for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in November 2023.</p><p>Further education outcomes are published annually, including employment and further learning destinations and earnings outcomes available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures</a>. Users can break down measures to view those of learners with specific ethnicities. The publication contains information on earnings post-learning but does not include breakdowns by learner income prior to or during learning.</p><p>The most recent published data relates to adult learners who achieved their qualification in the 2019/20 and their destinations in the following academic year. Outcomes by ethnic group for adults achieving in 2019/20 are shown here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/57c83f1d-2fbd-4999-5a54-08dbb9ac4483" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/57c83f1d-2fbd-4999-5a54-08dbb9ac4483</a>. Data for 2020/21 achievers will be available in November 2023.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 200574 question first answered 20/10/2023 11:04:34 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1662136

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Adult Education and Further Education: Birmingham
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Birmingham Council issuing a Section 114 notice on the provision of (a) adult and (b) further education.
tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
uin	200576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The Birmingham Adult Education Service, part of Birmingham City Council, is responsible for adult education across the city. Following the devolution of adult funding in August 2019, the responsibility for funding the Adult Education Service transferred to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The Combined Authority confirms that it has held initial conversations with the Birmingham Adult Education Service senior team and expects no impact on devolved AEB delivery following the issuing of the Section 114 notice, as the grant is ring fenced and adult education is a strategic priority. The Department’s Territorial Team meets regularly with WMCA and will assess the situation on an ongoing basis. The Adult Education Service also receives small scale non-devolved AEB and further education loans funding of approximately £290,000 from the Education and Skills Funding Agency and this will be managed through the usual performance management process.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 20/10/2023 11:45:03 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra