division_name: Technical and Further Education Bill &#8212; Financial Support for Students Undertaking Apprenticeships
motion: <p class="indent" pid="a718.5/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Why should families suffer as we seek to train young people desperately needed to fill the skills gaps that I mentioned earlier?&#8221;&#8212;[Official Report, House of Lords, <phrase class="date" code="2017-03-27">27 March</phrase> 2017; Vol. 782, c. 361.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a718.5/7" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;only 10% of apprenticeships are taken up by young people on free school meals&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a718.5/9" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the loss of child benefit&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a718.5/11" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a significant penalty.&#8221;&#8212;[Official Report, House of Lords, <phrase class="date" code="2017-02-27">27 February</phrase> 2017; Vol. 779, c. GC99.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a720.2/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;It seems inconsistent that apprentices are continually excluded from definitions of &#8216;approved&#8217; learners, when apprenticeships are increasingly assuming their place in the government&#8217;s holistic view of education and skills&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a720.4/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;If apprenticeships are going to be the silver bullet to create a high-skilled economy for the future, the government has to go further than rhetoric and genuinely support apprentices financially to succeed.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a720.4/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;There are currently participation penalties for low income and disadvantaged young people who take an apprenticeship compared to an academic pathway. This amendment would help towards treating apprentices and students in further and higher education equally in the support and benefits system.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a721.1/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The Government&#8217;s lack of action to address failings in careers provision is unacceptable and its response to our report smacks of complacency.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="a724.1/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;unable to identify a positive impact of the National Careers Service on employment or benefit dependency outcomes&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="a726.3/4" pwmotiontext="yes">The House divided:</p>
  
  <p pid="a726.3/5" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 298, Noes 182.</p>