The number of apprenticeship starts rose year-on-year in July, new figures from the Department of Education reveal.

A total of 25,200 apprenticeship starts were reported in July 2018 - an increase of 20.6 per cent, compared with the same month in 2017, when 20,900 were recorded.

However, apprenticeship starts remain significantly below previous years’ figures, with 44,100 starts reported in July 2016. An apprenticeship levy, to be paid by all large businesses across the UK, was introduced in April 2017 to help fund the government’s 3 million apprenticeship target. 

In August this year, the first year-on-year increase in apprenticeship starts since the levy was introduced has been confirmed by new Department for Education figures. It marked the end of a protracted period of worsening year-on-year drops in the previous months. 

More flexibility in apprenticeships

Earlier this month, chancellor Philip Hammond announced that employers will be able to share a quarter of their apprenticeship levy pots with their supply chain, as part of wider reforms to make the levy more flexible. 

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “The chancellor has evidently smelt the coffee by ordering a review and the Education Select Committee has got its finger on the pulse on what needs to be done to turn these disastrous numbers around.

“As we head towards Brexit with sectors such as hospitality and care homes crying out for more homegrown apprentices, DfE ministers have got to finally take action by removing the recently introduced policy barriers that disengaged smaller businesses and dramatically reduced the apprenticeship opportunities for young people.”

Apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton said: “It’s great to see the figures showing that there continues to be a growing number of people, of all ages, taking up our new, higher quality apprenticeship opportunities. Through our reforms, we wanted to see high-quality apprenticeships offered, so it’s good to see that of all apprenticeship starts, 43.7 per cent are on the new high-quality apprenticeship standards - that’s up from 4.8 per cent this time last year. 

“The range is growing with 350 apprenticeship standards now available for a wide variety of jobs, from planning officers to agriculture to accountancy. There is something for everyone. Change is never easy but business and the public sector are now embracing the opportunities our new apprenticeship reforms have given them.”