The report, Where Next: What influences the choices of would-be apprentices? (6.82 MB), published jointly by UCAS and the Sutton Trust, reveals the choices and barriers students face on the journey to an apprenticeship, such as when discovering, applying for and entering a role.
The new research finds a significant proportion of students do not pursue an apprenticeship because of issues in accessing opportunities. Three in five (61%) former applicants did not pursue an apprenticeship because they could not find one in their preferred location while one in three (35%) students previously interested in studying an apprenticeship said they were prevented from doing so due to a lack of roles in their desired career.
This comes amid a significant growth in demand for apprenticeships, with 40% of all UCAS undergraduate applicants now interested in an apprenticeship role – about 430,000 potential apprentices – with projections that interest could surge to over half a million by the end of the decade as part of the Journey to a Million. While the Apprenticeship Levy has doubled the funding available for apprenticeships since its implementation in 2017, to £2.5 billion each year, 99.6% of this was spent in 2021-22. This means the system is under significant pressure without enough apprenticeship opportunities to meet demand.
In February, it was announced that UCAS will improve how applicants access apprenticeships by putting opportunities side-by-side with traditional undergraduate degrees from this autumn, with the ability to apply through UCAS from 2024. UCAS’ work with employers shows the demand from industry for apprentices remains enormous, and this service will enable employers to connect with the UK's talent pool of students and graduates.
