UK apprenticeship schemes double over the past 12 months

News Article - 04 November 2011
Category: Business

The number of employees starting apprenticeship schemes has doubled over the past year, with a surge in schemes created in business, administration and law, according to new figures from the Data Service.

Nevertheless, the majority of on-the-job training schemes have been offered to employees over the age of 25, suggesting employees already in jobs are benefitting from the schemes rather than employers necessarily creating new positions for young graduates.

The number of over-25s starting apprenticeships rose by more than 250 per cent, from 49,100 to 175,500 over the last 12 months.

Professor Ewart Keep, of Cardiff University, sees no issue with employers using the scheme to train their own staff but warned against the quality of the training received for the sake of meeting Government targets.

He said: "As a means of chasing Government targets for expansion of apprenticeships, 25+ provision makes perfect sense. In every other respect it is probably not a good idea and dilutes an already 'confused' apprenticeship brand/offer.

"I have no problem with offering training/re-training to the post-25 age group, but it isn't really an apprenticeship in any meaningful sense."

The coalition Government has gone to great lengths encouraging employers to offer more apprenticeships that will help the nation "rebalance" towards exporting and advanced manufacturing, as opposed to becoming over-reliant on the service sector.

At present statistics show the most popular apprenticeship schemes are in the service sector, including business, administration and law, and healthcare and public services. Engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships accounted for just over 10 per cent of all available UK apprenticeship schemes.

Stephanie Fernandes, of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, said: "If the Government is serious about rebalancing the economy towards manufacturing then focus needs to be provided to ensure apprenticeship funding is targeted on this sector.

"A 24 per cent increase in engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships against a backdrop of a 50 per cent increase across all sectors, should be cause for concern."

Article keywords: apprentice, apprenticeship, data service

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