Figures released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) show that apprenticeships in a number of different industries are still on the rise.
Provisional data shows that in the first half of the 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to January 2012) 256,500 people started an apprenticeship, including 79,100 young people (aged under 19), 77,100 19-24 year olds and 100,300 adults aged 25 or over.
While the figures are from a number of different industry sectors other than manufacturing, the number of people from all age brackets deciding to undertake an apprenticeship is encouraging. Data detailing the number of new apprenticeships at manufacturing firms was unavailable on request.
Skills Minister John Hayes said: “[Apprenticeships] are at the heart of [the Government’s] skills policy because they equip people with the skills they need for a prosperous future and provide businesses with the expertise they need to grow.”
He also highlighted his individual efforts in striving to promote the more vocational approach to education: “At the same time as increasing the number of apprenticeships, I have been relentless in my commitment to quality – striving to ensure that every apprenticeship is as good as the best.”
