Record numbers of people successfully completing Apprenticeships
17 December 2009
The SFR figures for Post-16 Education and Skills: Learner Participation, Outcomes and Level of Highest Qualification have been published. View the full report.
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the NAS says:
The news that almost 240,000 people began an Apprenticeship in 2008/09 is fantastic - particularly in the context of the current economic climate. It highlights that employers understand the value that apprentices bring to their business, and that young people realise that an Apprenticeship is a great way to begin a successful career. We do know we still need to do more to provide Apprenticeship opportunities to those aged 16-18 and that is why we are delighted that the Employment White Paper provides us with funding to offer a wage incentive to employers to take on 5000 16 and 17 year olds. The NAS is also increasingly focused on finding Apprenticeship places for young people.
As well as the significant rise in starts we are also delighted to see that the completion rate for Apprenticeships has risen to over 70%, showing Apprentices really value the training they receive. And we have also achieved our target for those completing their Apprenticeship two years early. It is not only a fantastic achievement for those who work on Apprenticeships but also for these 143,400 people who, in 2008/9, successfully completed the first stage of their career.
Key Apprenticeship figures from the SFR
Starts:
The volume of Apprenticeship starts in 2008/09 was at the highest level ever recorded, at 239,900. This is an increase of 6.8 per cent compared to 2007/08. Of these:
- 99,000 16 to 18 year olds started an Apprenticeship framework in 2008/09.
- 84,700 19 to 24 year olds started an Apprenticeship framework in 2008/09.
- 55,900 25 year olds and over started an Apprenticeship framework in 2008/09.
Completions:
The PSA target was to increase the number of Apprenticeship completions to 130,000 by 2010/11. There were 143,400 Apprenticeship completions in 2008/09, which means that this PSA target has been achieved two years early. This is an increase of 27.4 per cent compared to 2007/08. Of these:
- 67,300 16 to 18 year olds achieved an Apprenticeship framework in 2008/09.
- 57,800 19 to 24 year olds achieved an Apprenticeship framework in 2008/09.
Success Rates:
An Apprenticeship completion success rate target was set for 2007/08 of 59%, increasing to 65% in 2008/09. The Apprenticeship completion success rate was 70.9% in 2008/09, which means that this target has been achieved. This is an increase of 7.0 percentage points from the 2007/08 rate. In 2008/09:
- The Apprenticeship Success Rate for 16 to 18 year olds was 69.6%.
- The Apprenticeship Success Rate for 19 year olds and over was 72.2%.