To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she plans to introduce new incentives, such as wage subsidies or tax relief, to encourage employers to take on apprentices, particularly in trades and technical sectors experiencing shortages.

My Department funds the directed, off-the-job training component of apprenticeships, with annual funding in the region of £48 million across the ApprenticeshipsNI and Higher Level Apprenticeship programmes. This funding is focused on ensuring that employers are not financially liable for the delivery of apprenticeship training.

Businesses are also eligible for an employer incentive payment upon the apprentice’s successful achievement of a Level 2 or Level 3 apprenticeship framework, ranging from £670 to £2,008 depending on the occupational area. This is a 20% increase under ApprenticeshipsNI 2025 compared to the previous ApprenticeshipsNI 2021 programme. This incentive is designed to encourage employers to support their apprentices through to full apprenticeship completion.

In addition, employers in the North do not need to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25, provided certain conditions are satisfied.

Tax relief sits outside the remit of my Department. However, in the recently published Apprenticeship Action Plan there are a range of measures to support the continued growth of the apprenticeships system including piloting new Apprenticeship Navigators help support business employ their first apprentice.