Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill: Second Reading

Parliament voted on 25 February 2025 to give the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill its Second Reading, passing the vote by 317 ayes to 55 noes. A Second Reading is the first substantive parliamentary debate on a bill, where MPs vote on whether its general principles should proceed. The result meant the bill advanced to further scrutiny stages.

The bill would abolish the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), an independent arm's-length body established in 2017, and transfer its functions directly to the Secretary of State and to Skills England, a new government agency. In practical terms, this means responsibility for approving apprenticeship and technical education standards, overseeing qualifications, and shaping the skills landscape would move from an independent body into direct ministerial control. The change affects employers, training providers, colleges, and the millions of people who undertake apprenticeships and technical qualifications in England.

The vote divided sharply along party lines. Labour MPs, including those from the Labour and Co-operative Party grouping, voted unanimously in favour, joined by the Greens, the Democratic Unionist Party, and several smaller parties and independents. The Liberal Democrats provided the organised opposition, with all 57 of their voting MPs in the No lobby. The Conservatives are notably absent from the party breakdown, suggesting low attendance or abstention rather than formal opposition at this stage. The bill sits within the government's broader skills reform agenda, and subsequent divisions in late March 2025 show it continued through Report Stage and Third Reading, with opposition attempts via amendments defeated comfortably.