To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage private companies to provide digital resources to apprentices.
Answered on
25 January 2021
We are committed to supporting apprentices and employers to safely continue with, and complete, their programmes during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Following the announcement of a new national lockdown on 4 January 2021, employers and training providers must ensure that training takes place remotely. Face to face training can continue for vulnerable young apprentices, which includes 16 to 18 year olds who may have difficulty engaging with remote training at home due to a lack of devices or connectivity. It can also continue in employers’ COVID-secure settings where it is essential for workers to attend their workplace, and where it is safe and practical to do so. Employers are responsible for providing their employees, including apprentices, with the tools they need to work remotely and should support apprentices with the digital resources they need to also continue their apprenticeships training remotely.
To support businesses during this time, we have extended the incentive payments for employers of up to £2000 for each new apprentice they hire until the end of March 2021. Employers can use this funding to help meet any of the costs associated with supporting a new apprentice in the workplace, including providing laptops and other resources for learning.