As national apprenticeship week kicks off today, the think-tank Demos has revealed that only 6.6 per cent of young people aged 16 to 24 are in apprenticeships in England.
The report called ‘Up to the Job’ said this figure is one of the lowest compared to other western countries; there are just 11 apprentices for every 1,000 employees in England, compared with 39 in Australia, 40 in Germany and 43 in Switzerland. Fewer than 10 per cent of firms in England offer apprenticeships, compared to at least a quarter of employers in other countries.
The report also found that demand for apprenticeships vastly outstrips supply. While just 6.6% of young people are in an apprenticeship, 54% of young people said they would choose to do an apprenticeship if one were available.
The study says that an additional 300,000 places would boost Britain’s GDP by £4billion as well as cutting the youth unemployment rate, which is currently at 20%.
Demos’s Chief Economist Jonathan Todd, who authored the report said: “Policy since the early 1990s has focused on getting young people to university, but the half of young people who don’t study for a degree have been forgotten. Employers are the missing piece of this puzzle – the Government needs to make it as easy as possible for them to take a chance on an apprentice.”
For more information please visit: www.demos.co.uk/publications/uptothejob1 and www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Apprenticeship-programmes-vastly-oversubscribed-finds-report/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily&c=6b7HQHFIP2gTxb42REYymcq7dINpDcp6
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