In England, 53.4% of apprentices completed and passed, external a final assessment last year – well below the government’s 67% target by the end of 2024-25.
A Department for Education report last year, external suggested that four in 10 people who did not complete their apprenticeship cited personal reasons, including career changes, mental health issues, and caring responsibilities.
However, about four in 10 also said they were not given enough time for training, that the training did not meet their expectations, or that the apprenticeship was badly run.
Ucas, external has warned that young people are interested in apprenticeships, but are being put off by a range of barriers, including:
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low pay
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a lack of availability – both in terms of location, and industry
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having to apply for apprenticeships individually, rather than sending off one application to several employers
According to Ucas, 430,000 students said they were interested in apprenticeship opportunities in 2023 .
However, only 189,430 apprenticeships were published on the official site in England in the last academic year. The government says this is “nowhere near enough” and is urging businesses to offer more.
It has launched an online apprentice support centre , externalto give apprentices more information, and says it is investing more, external in the professional development of people who train apprentices.
More money was allocated for apprenticeships in the 2021 Spending Review, but the Institute for Fiscal Studies says this will only “partially” make up for “significant cuts to public spending on adult education” over the past decade.