Apprentices
Business, Innovation and Skills
Written answers and statements, 12 October 2009
Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Government-funded apprenticeship places were available to young people in (a) England and (b) North East Cambridgeshire in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Kevin Brennan (Minister of State (also in the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills), Department for Children, Schools and Families; Cardiff West, Labour)
holding answer
Table 1 shows the number of Learning and Skills Council funded apprenticeship starts by learners aged under 19 in North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency and England from 2003-04 to 2007-08, the latest year for which full-year figures are available.
| Table 1: Number of apprenticeship starts for learners aged under 19, 2003-04 to 2007-08 | |||||
| Area | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency | 230 | 210 | 180 | 230 | 240 |
| England | 108,300 | 113,500 | 99,500 | 105,600 | 107,600 |
| Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency is based on home postcode of the learner. 2. The figures provided for England includes learners undertaking apprenticeships in England. It includes those resident in England, a small number of learners which are resident outside of England e.g. in Scotland or Wales, and those where their postcode is not known. 3. Figures for parliamentary constituency have been rounded to the nearest ten and figures for England have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Age Source: Work-based Learning Individualised Learner Record (WBL ILR) is calculated based on age at start of programme. | |||||
The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08, of which 107,600 were by young people (aged under 19). Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship—up from 37 per cent. in 2004-05. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill now before Parliament will ensure that an apprenticeship place is available for all suitably qualified young people by 2013.