This National Apprenticeship Week, our Content Manager, Curtis, tells his apprenticeship story and explores the strengths and flaws of the programme.
More than 11 years ago, on a summer afternoon at Nene Park Academy, Peterborough, my history teacher went round my small sixth form class and asked each of us where we were with our post-18 choices. This had become something of a ritual across my classes as we approached the winter of our school years.
My friends and classmates responded in kind and a list of universities rolled from their tongues, ranked in order of preference. These were some real places: Edinburgh, Durham, Lincoln, York, London.
I had decided these places weren’t for me – though I’ve been to several of them since and they’re lovely, I’d have had a great time. But for reasons unknown then, I was anxious to get out of the education system (sorry schools!) but my plan petered out a little beyond that initial conviction.
No doubt my teacher noticed when it came my turn to responded to her question. I mentioned vague things about journalism internships and doing something where I could write (okay, Kerouac).
Her response to me would change the course of my life:
“Were you at assembly this morning?”
I was not. That’s not the life changing bit:
“They announced that the school has an apprenticeship offer from a local PR and communications company, you should take a look, it might be interesting.”
It was an off the cuff suggestion, but I followed her advice and I am at that company today, more than a decade on – and I think of that afternoon often. About the amount of luck that landed in my lap for my teacher to have asked that question that warm, sweaty afternoon.
Now, whether I might owe my career to my sixth form History teacher is a good question, but I know for certain that I owe it to that apprenticeship and the doors it opened for me.
P.S.
I submit this as evidence of the importance of attending school assemblies! (You’re welcome, schools.)
Okay, but are apprenticeships any good?
It’s a worthwhile question, according to government figures, the number of apprenticeship starts are up ever so slightly – with 132,560 starts in 2023/24 – and 571,630 students currently participating in an apprenticeship. But this is dwarfed by the almost 3 million students attending universities in 2022/23.
So apprenticeships are not the popular option, and they likely never will be, but for the right person, in the right situation, with the right motivation, they have a lot to offer. Here’s a few examples.
It’s the foot in the door of a career
The most common selling point of an apprenticeship is that it’s a chance to work, earn and study in a field before entering it full time.
This is an obvious plus, but it can’t be understated. For me, my apprenticeship was a foot in the door of a career that had the potential to take me places – personally and professionally. I was able to learn as much from the experience of the job and my colleagues, as I was from my dedicated studying time. The two together formed a great platform for my learning.
Learning should not be something confined to our childhood and adolescent years and apprenticeships have become great opportunities for people in different stages of their lives and careers to learn new skills and enter new professions to improve their opportunities.
Apprenticeships offer education and job opportunities well into life
If the chance to learn and earn is talked about a lot to sell apprenticeships, what isn’t highlighted enough is that almost 50% of apprentices were aged 25 and older in 2023/24.
Learning should not be something confined to our childhood and adolescent years and apprenticeships have become great opportunities for people in different stages of their lives and careers to learn new skills and enter new professions to improve their opportunities.
Apprenticeships are an investment that pays off
According to recruiters, Reed, as much as 85% of apprentices will stay with their employer upon the completion of their apprenticeship.
That is a massive retention figure that speaks for itself, showing that investing in apprenticeships pays off for employers. And for potential apprentices, it shows a relative guarantee that if you can secure that role in your desired profession, there’s a good chance that you’ll find yourself with a future in that career at the other end.
So how can apprenticeships be better?
Okay, but is it all sunshine and roses? No, nothing ever is.
While apprenticeship numbers rose slightly this year, they are down since 2017 when a levy was introduced on employers, representing a shift in the way apprenticeships have been funded. Since then they have failed to recover the same numbers.
Avoiding this stagnation and ensuring apprenticeships continue to provide opportunities to people throughout their lives requires a few things.
Understanding apprenticeship drop-out rates
One of the more alarming stats available about apprenticeships is that the dropout rate is around 47% – meaning nearly half of all apprentices don’t complete their courses!
Analysing apprenticeship data, Think found that even more (89%!) of nursing associates dropped out in the three months before or after their planned end date. The same pattern was seen in other professions studied.
This trend of people dropping out so close to the finish needs closer review. Each apprentice who doesn’t reach the end of their studies is not just a possible lost opportunity for that person, but also represents a loss of investment from employers, trainers and the wider system.
The dropout rate for apprenticeships today is around 47% – meaning nearly half of apprentices don’t complete their courses
More data on apprenticeships
The problem in understanding this pattern is that there isn’t actually much data on the intricacies of apprenticeships right now.
While the government’s yearly report on apprenticeship statistics gives some great headline figures to understand broad demographics, there is still no real evidence as to what could be causing high dropout rates and therefore no clear way to identify and mitigate them before they occur.
Ensuring employers and apprentices are supported
In some cases apprentices site a lack of support in their training for dropping out – and this is something where both employers and apprentices need support.
Employers should be supported to deliver their training, and monitored to ensure it’s happening. This could be in the form of digital tools that could support more bespoke, individual learning plans.
This will in turn support apprentices and ensure they are learning as much as they’re earning, and can get the most out of their courses, their jobs and their future.
The apprenticeship programme isn’t without its flaws, but as we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week there’s a lot to appreciate about an educational avenue that gives people a chance at all stages of life to build a career, learn and earn at the same time. We should build and improve on that foundation, to ensure the longevity of a programme that opens the door for people like me.