Apprenticeships tumble by a quarter in latest data on woeful levy rollout

The Department for Education has released the latest takeup figures for apprenticeships in England, showing the already parlous enrolment rate dropped by nearly a third over 2017.

The number of apprentices starting from December 2016 to 2017 dropped from 24,000 to 16,700. The numbers leave the Department for Education target of three million people starting apprenticeships by 2020 looking increasingly delusional.

A recent from the Institute of Directors recently found only one in seven of employers found the levy system ‘fit for purpose’.

Tim Thomas, Director of Employment and Skills at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “With today’s headline figure showing a 25 per cent fall in apprenticeship starts in the first two quarters of this year, this should be the final signal to Government that now is the time for a review and change.

“Whilst manufacturers are doing their best to push through the complexities of delivering apprenticeships, greater employer flexibility in using levy funds is needed so they can expand provision and deliver even more quality apprenticeships.

"There are some green shoots appearing in today's figures. The increase in higher level apprenticeships and more starts on the new apprenticeship standards indicates a shift towards delivering more rigorous, high-quality apprenticeships, which will deliver the higher-level skills manufacturers need.

“Government should capitalise on this and implement the changes manufacturers have been calling for since the start, so employers can access the skills their businesses desperately need now and in the future.“

The starter statistics show a year-on-year decline in apprentices since the introduction of the levy, as September 2016 – 17 starters dropped from 78,000 to 63,000.