There is no getting away from the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has hit apprenticeships across the country hard.

The number of people starting on apprenticeships halved during lockdown. Apprenticeships are not classroom-based. They are jobs, so their recovery depends on restoring confidence among businesses right across the economy.

We have surveyed employers to find out how they have been affected by the pandemic and their intentions for training and recruitment.

Almost three-quarters of those which took on apprentices in 2019 told us they were expecting to cut back or drop apprenticeships altogether leading up to September.

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Respondents from large businesses had more certainty about the next year, with 76 per cent believing they would recruit an apprentice before May 2021.

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But less than half of respondents from small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) said they would recruit an apprentice in the same time frame.

The responses from 350 employers also provide a snapshot of how organisations are currently coping across different sectors.

Apprentices in construction appear to have been hit particularly hard. Two-thirds of respondents said most of their apprentices had been furloughed as of the first three weeks of June when the survey was carried out.

Other worst-affected sectors include leisure and travel, manufacturing, retail and engineering, with 58 per cent, 45 per cent, 39 per cent and 34 per cent of respondents, respectively, saying a majority of their apprentices had been furloughed.

The institute, which designs new apprenticeships with employers, has supported a massive shift towards quality online learning and assessment since lockdown. And while it is a great thing that the country is starting to open up again, this remains extremely important for keeping apprentices, trainers and assessors as safe as possible.

The research shows how quick to adapt everyone has been: 60 per cent of our survey respondents reported that off-the-job training with colleges or other training providers had continued as distance learning for their apprentices.

It is great news that the prime minister and chancellor have committed to investing in apprenticeships to drive the post-Covid-19 economic recovery.

The resulting extra financial incentives for employers to take on younger apprentices, who are always worst-hit by economic downturn, and the decision to plough more apprenticeship levy resources into SME apprenticeships will make a big difference.

We are working with thousands of employers on further support measures and will use our research to help tailor this by sector.

I appreciate that the prospect of taking on an apprentice may not be organisations’ top priority at the moment, but would appeal to businesses everywhere to think seriously about it.

There are now over 570 apprenticeships available right across the economy, from entry up to post-graduate level.

They have all been designed by employers - not civil servants - to make sure that they meet the genuine skills needs of employers. There has been a huge improvement in the quality and variety of training available because of this.

I know from my own experience in international business with Barclays, and through leading my business, 10x Future Technologies, about the energy, vitality and productivity gains apprentices bring to businesses of all sizes. Long-term investment into boosting the skills of your workforce is good for business. It is also a privilege to launch people into successful and lucrative careers.

Added to all this, there is more financial and practical support being made available for apprenticeships than we have seen for decades.

I know that times are hard but we have to look beyond Covid-19 and invest in the future.

Antony Jenkins is chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, founder and executive chairman at 10x Future Technologies, and former chief executive of Barclays