The apprenticeship system does not address the needs of young, disadvantaged people, a new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) warns. 

In the report, Putting Apprenticeships to Work for Young People, shared exclusively with Tes, the NFER argues that the pre-pandemic apprenticeship reforms have had a disproportionate impact on participation rates among young, disadvantaged people - and urge the government to take action to ensure that apprentices do not suffer “a second educational blow” after Covid. 

The NFER calls on the government to separate funding for 16- to 18-year-old apprentices from the main apprenticeships budget and to protect it, and to redesign the funding system to ensure that it supports the needs of small and medium-size enterprises.

The report was published days after Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, called on the government to fund 100 per cent of the training cost and salaries of apprentices for small and medium-sized enterprises at least for the first year. Doing so would provide a “rocket boost” for apprenticeships, he said. 

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As well as the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2018, reforms to the apprenticeship system in recent years mean all apprenticeships now last at least 12 months and must include 20 per cent off-the job training; all qualified apprentices are required to have a level 2 maths or English qualification; all apprenticeships now have an end-point assessment in place, which apprentices must pass to gain the qualification; and all new starts since August 2020 have been on employer-led standards, which have replaced the old system of frameworks.

However, data shows there has been a significant decline in apprenticeship starts since the introduction of the reforms. The NFER says the impact of this decline has been felt unevenly, with disadvantaged young people and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly affected. 

Disadvantaged young people and apprenticeships: the statistics 

Data shows that apprenticeship starts across learners of all ages fell by a fifth between 2015-16 and 2018-19 - driven, the NFER says, by a rapid decline in intermediate and advanced apprenticeships offered by small and medium-sized employers (SMEs). 

There was a 30 per cent decline in apprenticeship starts between 2015-16 and 2018-19 among the most disadvantaged apprentices, compared with 3 per cent among the least disadvantaged apprentices.

And apprenticeship starts for young apprentices and intermediate level qualifications remain far below pre-pandemic levels. Apprenticeship starts for younger apprentices aged under 19 in August 2020 to January 2021 were a third lower than before the pandemic, and less than half the level of starts in 2015-16.

Jenna Julius, report author and senior economist at the NFER, said: “Apprenticeships have the potential to act as a vehicle for social mobility for young people, but our new report shows that over the last decade, those who are disadvantaged are increasingly being crowded out of the apprenticeship system.

“The pandemic has had a particularly significant impact on the lives of young people, and we have to ensure that they do not suffer a second educational blow. It is essential we reconsider elements of the design of the current apprenticeship system to ensure those hardest hit can access apprenticeship opportunities.”

Increasing access to apprenticeships for the disadvantaged: recommendations in full

• The funding system needs to be redesigned to ensure that it supports the needs of SME employers. 
• Funding for training 16- to 18-year-old apprentices should be separated and protected from the main apprenticeships budget. 
• Launching a nationwide campaign to raise the profile of traineeships.
• Reassessing how minimum English and maths requirements are incorporated into apprenticeship training.
• Requiring all employers to advertise apprenticeship vacancies on the Find An Apprenticeship (FAA) website and provide bespoke application support to learners applying from disadvantaged areas.