Briefing: apprenticeships in cities

What does the data tell us about the take-up and success rates of apprenticeships so far?

Briefing published on 14 January 2016 by Ilona Serwicka

Although the tradition of apprenticeships dates back hundreds of years, the number of those undertaking apprenticeships in England has been growing in recent years. This reflects their increasing popularity with policymakers – a key policy for the Conservative government is to create 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020.

However, there have been a number of concerns raised about apprenticeships, including the low numbers of young people choosing to do them, the low take-up of technical apprenticeships, and low success rates.

This briefing explores these issues from a city perspective, looking at how the take-up of apprenticeships varies between cities, the age profile of individuals starting apprenticeships, the relationship between the types of apprenticeship being undertaken and skills demand in cities, and the variation in success rates.

The aim of the briefing is to provide an analytical basis for further research on the role that policymakers can play in driving up demand for and the quality of apprenticeships in cities.

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