Vocational Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government press release entitled Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home, published on 28 July 2026, what recent assessment has been made of the long-term economic return expected from the additional investment in post-16 education and training.
Answered by Department for Education
As set out in the government press release on 28 July 2026, entitled “Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home,” we are introducing a new bursary to support more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This will support the small number of households that are financially worse off when a young person starts an apprenticeship, so that no young person is discouraged from undertaking one.
The government is also investing £375 million to expand post‑16 capacity, ensuring sufficient local further education (FE) and skills places for young people.
The department publishes a variety of evidence showing the economic benefits from investment in post-16 education and training, including analysis on the economic returns from FE, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-the-net-present-value-of-further-education-in-england.
Additional data on the outcomes of FE learners are published annually and are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-outcomes/2022-23.
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