To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on Supported Internships; and what the projected cost of the 12‑month extension is.

Since 2022, the department has invested around £33 million into supported internships to provide more opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to transition into sustained, paid employment. This investment has been delivered by the Internships Work consortium and has provided training and support to local authorities, employers, education providers and job coaches to increase the number of supported internships and improve quality across the country.

As part of this investment, we also launched a pilot to test supported internships with young people who have learning difficulties and disabilities and are furthest from the labour market, but who do not have an education, health and care plan. This pilot has helped hundreds of young people to develop the skills and confidence needed for the workplace, demonstrating positive outcomes.

In the consultation on SEND reform that was published alongside the ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ paper, we set out that we intend to continue this pilot for at least a further year. Further details will be published in due course.