Karen Jones, the group HR director at housebuilder Redrow, said:
“It is very promising to see apprenticeship starts since the start of the academic year have risen 8% annually. Apprentices are a vital component for the industry and are an essential cog in powering construction SMEs today.
“Yet unfortunately uptake is still 17% less than it was before the apprenticeship levy was introduced. Companies are holding back from hiring apprentices due to a lack of resource and financial pressures, however our latest research also reveals shortcomings in the career advice given to young people at school. Just 21% of the 16-21-year-olds we surveyed started that they received high-quality careers advice, information and guidance on a wide range of careers. While more concerning still – less than one in ten (8%) of our own apprentices said they were encouraged to enrol on an apprenticeship following careers advice they received at school.
“If successful, the apprentices of today could go on to become the business leaders of the future. It is clear that our industry must work harder to ensure that not only young people but their teachers and career advisors and SME business leaders are aware and educated on the benefits of apprenticeships.”
Apprenticeship and levy statistics: May 2019
- There have been 285,000 apprenticeship starts reported to date between August 2018 and March 2019 for the 2018/19 academic year.
- This is a 8% increase on the equivalent period in 2017/18, 362,400 in 2016/17 and 346,300 in 2015/16
Read Redrow’s latest report ‘Apprenticeships and SMEs in the UK’ here