The government’s £1 billion youth guarantee and apprenticeship reforms aim to unlock 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships for young people at a moment when nearly one million are neither earning nor learning. The shift towards prioritising young people in the apprenticeship system is timely, and urgently needed. But policy alone won’t fix this problem. Employers will play a vital role. The international evidence tells us apprenticeships can be particularly impactful for getting marginalised young people into training and work. So the recently announced apprentice hiring incentives for SMEs represents a promising package of support to help create more of these pathways. Many employers will now be asking what these latest reforms mean in practice, and what still needs to change to make the system work for them, young people, and the wider economy. But the real question isn’t just what comes next. It’s how employers can build on what they are already doing. Across sectors, many employers are already reshaping entry-level roles, widening access and opening new routes into work for young people. At Youth Futures Foundation, our Make it an Apprenticeship campaign has identified three clear calls to action: Make it an apprenticeship. Employers can turn suitable entry-level vacancies into apprenticeships for young people. Many roles can be adapted into structured learning pathways that provide the support young recruits need to succeed. Make it a level 2. Level 2 apprenticeships are critical for young people facing the steepest barriers to work. When employers reassess skills requirements and are able to reduce unnecessary criteria, it can create more accessible pathways into good work. Make more opportunities. Where possible, employers might train extra apprentices for the sector or their supply chain. Expanding opportunities today helps them secure the talent needed tomorrow. These actions work, not only because level 2 and 3 apprenticeships play a crucial role in supporting young people into sustainable employment, but because they offer employers future candidates for entry-level vacancies with the right mix of potential, skills and lived experience. The results of a 2023 government evaluation of apprenticeships speak for itself: 83 per cent of employers offering level 2 or 3 apprenticeships would recommend them to others. More than three‑quarters say apprenticeships improved productivity in their organisation. 69 per cent of employers report retaining some completers and 61 per cent report retaining all of them. These outcomes matter. In an uncertain labour market, retention, productivity and long-term workforce development are not abstract policy goals – they are the fundamentals of business resilience and growth. Last week’s announcements reiterated that reducing the number of young people not earning or learning is a national priority. It also presented employers with an opportunity to position themselves as leaders in a changing system. For employers, waiting for reform to ‘bed in’ risks losing out but acting now means they can shape what successful delivery looks like, influencing their sector’s talent pipeline and securing the benefits sooner. Government and employers now have an opportunity for deeper collaboration on early pathway creation, building on the work they have already achieved with even greater urgency. But the most important progress will be driven by employers who choose not to wait. Now is the time to lead the way on apprenticeships – and to build the future workforce our economy urgently needs.