Those receiving their results this week need more access to apprenticeship opportunities, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers has said.
AELP research director Paul Warner said the increased employer incentives, announced in the budget for all-age apprenticeships had had a positive effect on apprenticeship numbers, but were due to expire at the end of September.
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”For students considering their options, now is the time for the government to extend these incentives, specifically targeting them to increase opportunities for young people,” he said.
Mr Warren added programme starts on apprenticeships for 19- to 24-year-olds dropped by a fifth in the first year after the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, and with the additional impact of the pandemic, they are now barely half the level that they were in 2016.
“Degree apprenticeships are an increasingly popular option because degree apprentices earn while they learn and end up with no student debt, but the number of opportunities are dependent however on employers making offers available via a university and the great majority of the training takes place on the job. It will be a while yet before they become more widely available.”
Recent Ucas research showed many school and college students were not made aware of apprenticeships and their benefits. The Baker Clause requires schools to allow access to FE providers to inform their learners of vocational career paths.
