Fewer starters
Apprentice starts among those under 19 nearly halved from around 120,000 in 2014/15 to just 65,000 in 2020/21, when the number of enrolments was hit by the Covid pandemic. In 2022/23, the number of under-19s enrolled rose to 77,720, accounting for 23% of the 337,000 apprenticeships that year – down 3.5% on the total in 2021/22.
Higher level starters
Advanced apprenticeships accounted for 43.9% of starts (147,930) while higher apprenticeships accounted for3.5% of starts (112,930), a rise of 6.2% compared with the year before. By comparison, the proportion of intermediate-level starters fell from 28% in 2021/22 to 23% over the year.
Duration
The average duration of an apprenticeship has risen over the past decade from 406 days in 2011/12 to628 days in 2022/23. In the last year, the average duration rose by five days, or 0.8%. The duration of level 6 and 7 apprenticeships is longer, so the increased uptake of these courses is a key factor in the rise.
Links to higher pay
Apprenticeships help young people into good jobs. A study found that apprenticeships raise men’s earnings by 30% and 46% for those educated up to levels 2 and 3 respectively, relative to a classroom-based vocational qualification at the same level. For women, they raise earnings by 10% to 20% for the respective groups.
Barriers to entry
In 2020, the Low Pay Commission reported that apprentices were 10-times more likely than the average worker to get less than the legal minimum wage. In addition, since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017, large employers must contribute more money which has altered the type of firms and opportunities offered – advanced apprenticeships, usually targeted at older workers, have grown.
Repairing the system
Imran Tahir, research economist for the Institute of Fiscal Studies, says changes to the apprenticeship system in recent years appear to have come at the expense of young people. He calls for more support for 16- to 19-year-olds to access apprenticeships and recommends ring-fencing funding for youth apprenticeships to incentivise employers to offer them; and to develop more routes into apprenticeships for learners who struggle to achieve at school.
