The Rt Hon Robert Halfon spent 14 years in Parliament representing Harlow and the villages, championing education, skills and apprenticeships and campaigning to cut the cost of living. His first speech in 2010 was about apprenticeships, and he twice served as Minister of State for Apprenticeships at the Department for Education. 

As Minister he boosted apprenticeships with a new UCAS service and launched the Skills for Life campaign to attract more employers. He scrapped the cap on apprentice numbers for SMEs, tripled the Care Leaver Bursary to £3,000 and tabled the Lifelong Learning Bill to reshape student finance around students' and employers' needs. In his final six months in office he secured £110 million for apprenticeships in growth sectors. 

Elected Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee in 2017 and re-elected in 2019, he held the role for five years until becoming a Minister in October 2022, publishing reports on apprenticeships, prison education, SEND and careers guidance, speaking out against school closures and holding the Government to account over the Covid-19 catch-up programme. 

He now continues this work as Executive Director of Make UK, having previously run his consultancy, Ladder of Opportunity.