Recognising apprenticeships as a cornerstone of any economic growth and youth employment strategy has never been more critical, and that’s not just because it’s National Apprenticeship Week.
Apprenticeships tackle two of Britain’s biggest challenges at once: getting young people into secure, fulfilling work and building the skilled workforce our economy needs to grow.
They benefit everyone; young people earn while they learn, gaining real-world experience and recognised qualifications from day one. For employers, apprenticeships allow them to develop talent already embedded in their workforce, trained to their specific needs and familiar with their working culture. Rather than competing for scarce skilled workers in a tight labour market, businesses can grow their own pipeline of talent, reducing recruitment costs and improving staff retention.
Our ambition is for two-thirds of young people to move into higher-level learning or apprenticeships, with both routes enjoying equal status and visibility. Employers remain at the heart of setting standards for their industries, ensuring that training delivers the skills businesses need. We’re cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, not corners on quality or safety.
Crucially, apprenticeships can be life-changing for young people at the very start of their working lives. Early unemployment can leave lasting scars – on confidence, wellbeing and future prospects. A clear route into sustained work gives people the chance to build a future. And when more young people are supported into good jobs, the wider economy is stronger too.
We are also making it easier for potential apprentices to find the right opportunity, ensuring that applying for an apprenticeship becomes as straightforward as applying to university. An improved online portal will bring together clear information on pay, progression and career outcomes in one place, giving young people everything they need to understand their options at their fingertips.
Alongside this, we are piloting a university clearing-style system that redirects strong candidates who narrowly miss out towards similar apprenticeships nearby, helping ‘near miss’ applicants find alternative routes into high-quality training rather than losing out entirely. It will be delivered in partnership with mayoral strategic authorities, who are best placed to understand their local skills needs.
Through the growth and skills levy, we’re putting £725 million into the apprenticeship system which will support our aim of getting 50,000 additional apprenticeships for young people. We have also introduced a new fast-track process that will get apprenticeships updated and short courses developed in as little as three months. This will benefit sectors critical to delivering major infrastructure and investment projects, prioritising those that will boost opportunities for young people.
These measures will ensure that as a country we are keeping pace with emerging technologies and new regulatory requirements, from new safety standards on construction sites to the skills needed for offshore wind turbines.
However, we must be honest about the scale of the challenge we face. Apprenticeship starts have fallen significantly in recent years, with young people particularly affected by this decline. Too often, the system has felt complex and difficult to navigate, leaving potential apprentices unsure where to start or how to find the right opportunity. For some businesses, this has created frustration.
These are challenges I am determined to address head-on. Through my role as skills adviser, I am working to ensure the reforms we are introducing tackle these barriers directly. Our new fast-track approval process will cut waiting times while the online portal and clearing-style pilot will make the system far easier for young people to navigate.
We won’t stop there though; the apprenticeship system needs to evolve with the workforce and demands of businesses. We have committed to giving young people the opportunity to learn or earn and we will not allow barriers or bottlenecks to stop us. Changes to the system will continue as long as they are needed to ensure we are delivering what is best for those involved.
The Prime Minister has been clear: apprenticeships should stand shoulder to shoulder with university as a route to a fulfilling career.
I’m committed to making that a reality, building an apprenticeship system that allows young people and businesses to succeed together. When that happens, the benefits extend far beyond the individual, creating stronger businesses, stronger communities and a stronger British economy.
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