Apprenticeship starts fall by more than 60,000, according to government figures

All-age apprenticeships starts fell by 13 per cent last year according to provisional government data released this morning.

The figures, published in the Statistical First Release (SFR), suggest that the number of people starting apprenticeships has dropped for the second year running.

In 2013/14 the number of apprenticeship starts was provisionally put at 432,400 [click here and view table 18.1], a drop of 62,700 (from 495,100) since the same figures were released for 2012/13 [click here and view table 16.1].

The final figures for 2012/13 showed the first drop in apprenticeship take-up in seven years (from 510,200 to 499,800 — a 2 per cent drop) and if today’s provisional figures are confirmed in the next SFR (due in January), they could prove that this trend is continuing.

The number of under 19-year-olds starting apprenticeships meanwhile, appears to have risen 5 per cent, to 117,800, since last year, but the number of 19 to 24-year-olds fell by 3 per cent, to 156,900, and the number of 24 + apprenticeships tumbled from 222,200 to 157,700 — a drop of 29 per cent.

For more on the SFR, see edition 115 of FE Week, dated Monday, October 20.