Apprenticeship Starts and levy statistics: September 2018

Statistics covering latest monthly apprenticeship starts, apprenticeship service registrations and commitments, and apprenticeship levy information.

There have been 341,700 apprenticeship starts reported to date between August 2017 and June 2018 for the 2017/18 academic year. This compares to 472,500 and 458,500 starts reported in the equivalent period in 2016/17 and 2015/16 respectively.

As at 31 July 2018, there have been a total of 14,800 ASAs registered. Please note that the date of registration is the date the apprenticeship service account first registered their Pay As You Earn (PAYE) account number and a legal entity in the digital apprenticeship service system. As at 31 July 2018, there have been a total of 198,100 commitments entered into the apprenticeship service. Of these, 187,100 were fully agreed.

The latest figures show that there has been a big increase in the number of learners starting on the new high-quality apprenticeship standards – 119,500 were reported in the first three quarters of the 2017/18 academic year, in comparison to 11,000 at the same point last year. As of June 2018, 50% of apprenticeship starts were using these standards, this means an increase of 986%. Employers are embracing the new system – since the levy was introduced, 46.8% of apprenticeship starts have been supported by employers.

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive, Learning and Work Institute, comments:

“The latest apprenticeship statistics appear to show a new ‘steady state’ of apprenticeship starts of around 20-30,000 per month. This is much lower than before the introduction of the Levy and other reforms and makes the Government’s 3 million target look increasingly out of sight. In any case, at Learning and Work Institute we argue the real focus should be on boosting quality and widening access and tackling the barriers to participation that too many groups of people face who would like to take up an apprenticeship.

“Our research shows much greater action is needed to tackle these inequalities, including a new Apprentice Premium and benchmarking apprenticeship standards against the best in the world. We brought together ideas on improving apprenticeships in our essay collection, produced earlier this year.”

Ben Rowland Co-founder, Arch Apprentices: 

“The latest figures are in line with our expectations, of a continued recovery in terms of numbers of starts as large employers become familiar with how apprenticeships can work for them.  The really big test for apprenticeships is what is happening right now, in September, rather than what was happening back in the summer.  This month is due to be a record month for us here at Arch in terms of numbers of starts and we know that lots of large employers have been planning for major launches this month and next month.  If the Institute for Apprenticeships can do its bit and change its currently bizarre course away from dampening apprenticeship appetite and provision towards cherishing and encouraging them, then the future for apprenticeships will be even brighter.”

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton said:

“Employers right across the country are taking up the fantastic opportunity apprentices bring to their business. It’s a great way to build the skills business needs. Traditional academic routes are no longer the only option available with our new high quality apprenticeship standards giving people a route to fulfilling jobs and a successful career.

“There are a wide variety of exciting apprenticeships on offer from marine engineering to finance to nursing, fashion and law. I have seen for myself how an apprenticeship can alter the course of someone’s life and everyone, whatever their background and whatever their academic achievement, should consider the option of taking up this opportunity.”

Documents

Apprenticeship and levy statistics: September 2018 – main text

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Details

This publication provides headline official statistics on the use of the apprenticeship service. These include apprenticeship service account registrations (ASAs) and numbers of commitments (reported to July 2018), where an apprentice who is expected to go on to start has been recorded in the system.

Additionally, monthly apprenticeship starts information for the first 11 months of the 2017 to 2018 academic year are also presented (reported to June 2018).

For more further education (FE) statistics, please refer to the FE and skills statistics publication, and the FE data library.

We may adjust the content and timing of these statistics, depending on user feedback and data reporting.

Further education statistical dissemination team

Matthew Rolfe
Department for Education
2 St Paul’s Place
125 Norfolk Street
Sheffield
S1 2FJ

EmailFE[email protected]