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New Apprenticeship Enrolments Down By A Quarter

20 Apr 2018

New Apprenticeship Enrolments Down By A Quarter

The number of young people starting new apprenticeship schemes has fell by a quarter according to the latest figures released by the Department for Education (DfE).

In the six months to January 2018, the number of apprentices enrolling on schemes in the UK dropped by 24 per cent compared to the previous year.

Some experts have put the dwindling numbers, at least in part, down to the Apprenticeship Levy which was brought in by the government last year.

When the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced, it was said that it would help create three million apprenticeships by 2020. The latest DfE figures, however, would suggest that progress so far hasn’t been what was anticipated.

At the end of January last year, young people had started 269,600 apprenticeships over the previous six months. For the same time frame between August 2017 and January 2018, that figure dropped to 206,100, a fall of 63,500 enrolments or almost a quarter.

Compared on a January to January basis the decline was even steeper, with 31 per cent fewer apprentices signing up in the first month of 2018 as did in January 2017.

Commenting on what might be causing the drop, Seamus Nevin, head of policy research at the Institute of Directors which produced statistics on the Apprenticeship Levy last month, said: “There have been major problems with putting the funds to use in the ways and places they are needed most. While the intention behind the policy is right, today's stats reinforce why we need a change in how the levy is implemented.”

And, speaking at The Apprenticeships Conference 2018, the head of skills policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Jane Gratton, said: “Businesses recognise that apprenticeships are a crucial tool in shaping the skills of tomorrow, but the current restrictions and inflexibility of the system make it unfit for purpose.”

“For many levy-payers it feels like a tax, or redirects funds set aside for other forms of workplace training. At the other end of the spectrum, the funding rules mean that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing higher recruitment costs and are unsure how and where to access quality training providers,” added Ms Gratton.

The BCC head of skills policy advised that the government should liaise with both businesses and training providers to improve the system for SMEs instead of having a system which she says at the moment is, in reality, hindering the development of skills amongst young people.

The news of an overall decline of 24 per cent in apprenticeship sign ups was, however, offset somewhat by other DfE figures which show that the number of young people enrolling on higher-level apprenticeships had actually risen by more than a quarter over the August 2017 to January 2018 period.

Higher-level apprenticeships, whereby apprentices can gain A-Level or degree-level training without going signing up full time at college or university, were actually up by 27 per cent year on year.

In support of the Apprenticeship Levy and other overhauls of the apprenticeship system, a DfE spokesperson said: “Our reforms to the apprenticeship system are about increasing the number of quality apprenticeships, so people of all ages and backgrounds can take advantage of the opportunities apprenticeships bring.”

“We have recently seen an increase in the number of people starting on higher level apprenticeships, such as engineering and law, and on our new quality apprenticeship standards. These new apprenticeships are designed by employers themselves to meet their needs, and in a range of industries such as fashion, banking and defence,” added the spokesperson.

If you are interested in finding out more about all of the different types of apprenticeship schemes - or the benefits of a degree apprenticeship over going to university - then you can find a wealth of information to help you make your decision in our dedicated Apprenticeship section.

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