Government surpasses target of supporting 20,000 higher apprenticeship starts.

The government has announced today that it has broken its target of supporting 20,000 higher apprenticeship starts over the last two years. The figures released show that since the beginning of the 2013 to 2014 academic year, more than 22,000 higher apprenticeships have already been supported.

Higher apprenticeships provide young people with the opportunity to gain the high level skills required by employers through 12 months on the job experience, whilst simultaneously studying for a degree or higher education qualification.

The most popular apprenticeship subject areas in terms of starts since August 2014 are ‘Business, Administration and Law’ and ‘Health, Public Services and Care’.

There has also been a marked increase in traineeships in the first three quarters of this academic year with over 15,000 undertaken. These traineeships provide young people with work preparation training, English and maths and work experience to prepare them for apprenticeships and sustainable employment.

Statistics show that there were over 2.3 million apprenticeship starts across the country in the last Parliament and the Government hope to build on this by supporting a further three million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

Skills Minister Nick Boles commented: “We listened to what employers told us they needed and have invested in apprenticeships to ensure their workforce have the quality skills needed to grow the business. These figures show we are on course to create a modern and competitive workforce that boosts the country’s productivity and prosperity.

The employer-led demand for higher apprenticeships is yet another reminder of the great respect our apprentices command.”

One of hundreds of businesses that support higher apprenticeships, Rolls Royce run their programme at facilities across the UK.

Rolls Royce Learning and Development Manager, David Campbell, said: “We understand the value apprentices can bring to a business and look to attract people with real potential. We provide world-class training, working with industry leading professionals to help drive career ambitions and the company forward.”

One of Roll Royce’s Higher Technical Apprentices is 21 year old, Jessica Bestwick. Based in Derby, she started with the Company in September 2012 and is completing an apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering.

Jessica said: “Thanks to starting a higher apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce, I have been able to progress my career, earning a real wage and gaining a degree at the same time. My job involves working within the different civil aerospace product development teams to gain an understanding of what is involved in developing and manufacturing Civil Large Engines for our customers.

“I would never have dreamed when I left school after completing my A-Levels that I would be where I am now. I would recommend a higher apprenticeship to anyone.”

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