Home > News > March 2005 > 30-Mar-2005

Boom time for apprenticeships, says LSC

According to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), demand for apprenticeships in England is at an all-time high.

Over 23,000 employers responded to a campaign launched in May 2004 designed to encourage more businesses to offer apprenticeships.

The LSC says their employer campaign has also sparked strong interest in apprenticeships from young people looking to explore careers through apprenticeships not only in traditional fields such as construction and engineering but also in new, up and coming sectors such as media and design, health and social care and business administration.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which funds and manages apprenticeships, is targeting businesses in these areas to with the aim of ensuring that places are available.

The LSC reports that there are currently 255,500 young people aged 16-24 undertaking an apprenticeship. The top 10 apprenticeship sectors for 2004 were:

Stephen Gardner, director of work-based learning at the LSC, said: "An increase in the number of employers offering apprenticeships is great news for young people seeking vocational career paths.

"We're particularly pleased to see industries not traditionally associated with apprenticeships realising the benefits to their businesses of employing apprentices, such as media and design, travel and sport.

"Ongoing, high levels of interest from young people for apprenticeships indicate the enormous potential for a pool of talented, motivated employees for UK businesses to tap in to in the future."

There are two levels of Apprenticeships:

1) 'Apprenticeships', equivalent to GCSE level, incorporate a National Vocational Qualification to Level 2; key skills and in some cases a technical certificate.

2) 'Advanced Apprenticeships', equivalent to A-levels, incorporate a National Vocational Qualification to Level 3, key skills and a technical certificate

On 10th May 2004, Chancellor Gordon Brown and then Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke announced the introduction of Young Apprenticeships for students aged 14-16 and Adult Apprenticeships for those people aged 25 and over. Pilots for both are currently running.

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