Outdoor learning specialist apprenticeships

That this House regrets the proposed defunding of the Level 5 Outdoor Learning Specialist Apprenticeship from 1 September 2026; recognises that this apprenticeship prepares practitioners to design and deliver outdoor learning programmes that support educational achievement, children’s wellbeing, enrichment and SEND inclusion, often directly within schools and educational settings; notes that this programme is the only natural and essential next step from the Level 3 Outdoor Activity Instructor apprenticeships for young people at the start of their careers; expresses concern that the timescales and lack of consultation will impact many early career starts in a small, specialist sector highly dependent on stable workforce routes; and calls on the Government to pause plans to defund this standard to allow proper consultation with the outdoor learning sector.