As the sitting Prime Minister, David Cameron put a promise to create another 3 million high quality apprenticeships for young people at the centre of his 2015 election campaign. Yet apprenticeships have provided few alternatives to continuing to higher education for young people – key to Cameron’s intentions. In fact apprenticeship starts had already peaked … Continue reading Dave might be back…. but what’s happened to his apprenticeship promises? →

Latest statistical releases this month show total apprenticeship starts in England, from Aug 2022 to Jan 2023 down by 4.1% to 195,600 compared to 203,990 reported for the same period in the previous year. But starts for Higher level apprenticeships continue to grow substantially, accounting for over a third of all starts, up by 7% … Continue reading Still more Master apprentices →

Some eight years after David Cameron  promised 3 million more, apprenticeships have failed to provide real opportunities for all but a few of those young people not able to or not wanting to continue to higher education. This, rather than a 'skills crisis' is the real reason for the introduction of yet another full-time vocational … Continue reading Apprenticeships: still not a real alternative for young people. →

During the period Aug 2021 to Jan 2022, there were just over 200 000 apprenticeship starts - up one fifth from a year ago and approaching the pre-pandemic level - in England, (compared to the same period in 2018/19 though, starts are down by 4.8% reflecting a long-term decline). Yet there continues to be major … Continue reading Master Apprentices →

In some respects, Boris Johnson’s promise of an apprenticeship to every young person is reminiscent of David Cameron’s pledge to create three million new apprenticeships over 5 years. In other respects the circumstances are quite different. Cameron apprenticeship promise was made in the run up to the 2015 election; but now the government is bracing … Continue reading Boris Johnson’s apprenticeship promise →

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/16/the-guardian-view-on-apprenticeships-failing-the-young While the headline of this morning's  Guardian's is correct, it's analysis falls far short....... It is not possible for the UK to emulate the German apprenticeship model. This continues to be based on a ‘social partnership’ where employers, trade unions and local state institutions work together to plan skill and employment targets, but also … Continue reading Apprenticeships: Guardian’s editorial falls far short. →

This week has been National Apprenticeship Week, with young people appearing on national media to promote the schemes.  There are clearly some very good ones. But January also saw  the release of new data on apprenticeship starts and apprentice profiles providing a very mixed picture. The  good After a difficult period since the introduction of the … Continue reading Apprenticeship statistics – the good and the bad. →

Jeremy Corbyn has announced that a Labour government would deliver 320,000 new ‘climate apprenticeships’ during its first term – part of a wider commitment to creating a million high skilled jobs in a Green Industrial Revolution.  There’s a  general recognition that a Green New Deal would be kick-started in the building and construction sector, energy … Continue reading Climate apprenticeships or new green jobs? →

While the total number of apprenticeships starts continues to level off, the rapid increase in  enrolments for Higher Level schemes appears to be bucking this trend.  According to latest government data, there were 60 000 new starts during the last nine months, well above the figure for the preceding twelve months, which at the time constituted … Continue reading Apprenticeships and Gavin Williamson →

You could be forgiven for not realising last week was ‘Apprenticeship Week’ - an annual event enabling the apprenticeship industry to promote good practice and celebrate the diversity of opportunities available, the government is also launching a £2 million advertising campaign through TV and social media.   Make no mistake there are some very good … Continue reading ‘Apprenticeship Week’ but not too much to celebrate? →