New Department for Education data on apprenticeship starts released on 26 January suggest level 2 and 3 apprenticeships continue to be a declining opportunity for 16- to 19-year-olds entering the labour market. This persistent trend is bad news for young people, but some key actions could tackle the obstacles that stand in their way.
A steady decline
As outlined recently in FE Week, despite a bounce back in apprenticeship starts post-pandemic last year, the latest figures show that the total starts in the first quarter of the 2022/23 academic year (August-October 2022) were down by 6.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2021/22.
Although this drop is reflected across all main age groups, since 2015/16 there has been a well-documented sharp decline in apprenticeship starts at intermediate and advanced levels for 16- to 19-year-olds. This is partly related to the disproportionate impact of the Covid pandemic and the apprenticeship reforms - especially the introduction of the apprenticeship levy – on small- and medium-sized enterprises, who play an important role in providing apprenticeship opportunities for young people. Moreover, the decrease is set against a continued growth in higher level apprenticeships (level 4 and above), which continue to flourish.
This ongoing trend is troubling as NFER’s recent research shows that young people, particularly those who are already disadvantaged, face a multitude of barriers to accessing apprenticeships which are not being effectively tackled.
