Apprenticeship trends in England

Apprenticeships continue to play a key role in England's labour market, though recent funding reforms signal significant changes

Apprenticeships have a long and evolving history in England, stretching back to the medieval craft guilds of the Middle Ages. While their early forms were very different from today, apprenticeships remained an important training route well into the 19th century before experiencing a long period of decline. The modern apprenticeship model was introduced in 1994, setting the framework for how apprenticeships operate today.

The most recent data from the House of Commons Library shows there were 353,500 apprenticeship starts in England in 2024/25.1 Apprenticeship starts have been rising year-on-year since 2022/23, when there were 377,000 starts.

Long‑term trends show that starts in England have not followed a smooth or consistent pattern over time. The numbers tend to shift in response to major policy changes, funding reforms and wider events, leading to periods of growth followed by noticeable dips.

For example, apprenticeship starts grew throughout the 2000s, peaking at 521,000 in 2010/11, before dropping sharply following the introduction of the apprenticeship levy and funding changes in 2017 and again during COVID-19. Starts have been relatively steady since then, but changes to level 7 funding could affect this.

Looking ahead: cuts to level 7 apprenticeship funding

From January 2026, government funding for level 7 apprenticeships (equivalent to a Masters) is no longer available to most learners aged 22 and above. Existing apprentices will continue to be funded until completion, while new funding will be limited to those aged 21 and under.2

The policy is designed to shift more investment toward younger people, with the intention of improving early career opportunities and reducing youth unemployment. The decision has been met with widespread concern. Many school leavers who progress through Levels 2 to 4 are unlikely to reach Level 7 before turning 22, and most university graduates will also pass the age threshold soon after completing their studies, leaving very little time to start a funded programme. As a result, sectors that rely heavily on Level 7 apprenticeships for developing advanced and specialist skills could face worsening shortages.

Shifts in apprenticeship age over time

Since 2018/19, the age distribution of apprenticeship starters has remained stable. Around 20 to 25% were under 19, 30% were aged between 19 and 25, and 45 to 50% were aged 25 or above.

This is a significant change from 2006/07, when fewer than 1% of starters were aged 25 or above. By 2011/12 that figure had risen to 45%, and it has stayed at similar levels since. The introduction of higher-level apprenticeships after 2010, along with incentives payments for small firms hiring 16 to 24-year-olds could explain this sharp rise in apprenticeships.

There was also a dip in the number of apprentices aged 25 and above following the short‑lived introduction of Advanced Learning Loans, which required adult apprentices to contribute toward the cost of their training for the first time. Take up was extremely low, and apprenticeships were removed from the loans system in 2014.3

Gender representation varies by sector

In 2024/25, women made up 52.5% of apprenticeship starts, while men accounted for 47.5%. The gender balance has been relatively stable over the past decade, with women typically representing around 50 to 55% of starters since 2010/11.

However, looking at the data by sector shows the gender balance is far from even. Women tend to gravitate towards apprenticeships in health, education, business, administration and law, whereas men make up the vast majority of starts in construction, engineering and manufacturing. The digital and tech sector shows similar patterns, with female representation still noticeably lower than men.4

On a positive note, the number of women starting STEM apprenticeships has seen a small increase since 2022/23. Despite this, women continue to be much more concentrated in non‑STEM areas such as retail, health, and administration.5

Steady growth in LLDD participation

The share of apprentices who report having a learning difficulty or disability (LLDD) has steadily increased in recent years. In 2017/18, 11.2% of new apprentices disclosed an LLDD, but by 2024/25 this had risen to 16.1%.

The growth in apprentices declaring a learning difficulty or disability is visible across both STEM and non‑STEM areas.6 Within STEM subjects, the proportion of apprentices reporting an LLDD rose from 12.4% in 2019/20 to 15% in 2024/25.

In non‑STEM areas, the LLDD share increased from 12.1% to 16.5% over the same period. Together, these patterns reflect a consistent growth in LLDD participation across the apprenticeship landscape.

Growing participation from minority ethnic groups

In 2024/25, the majority apprentices were white, making up 80.8% of all starts. The proportion of learners from minority ethnic backgrounds has increased over time, rising from 12.8% in 2016/17 to 19.2% in 2024/25.

Minority ethnic apprentices are most concentrated in health, public services and care, and business, administration and law, with digital technology also making up sizeable share of their cohort. In 2024/25, about a third of minority ethnic starts were in health, 30% were in business, and 13% were in digital technology.

White apprentices also gravitate towards business and health, but they are more likely than minority ethnic apprentices to be in engineering and manufacturing and construction.

Rapid growth in higher‑level apprenticeships

Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2) now make up a much smaller share of starts than they used to, falling from 43% in 2017/18 to 19% in 2024/25. Meanwhile, higher apprenticeships (levels 4,5,6 and 7) have grown significantly, increasing from 13% to 40%. The proportion of advanced apprenticeships (level 3) has shown little change.

This shift in the balance of apprenticeship levels is closely linked to several changes that made Level 2 programmes harder to deliver.7 Requirements such as the 20% off‑the‑job training rule increased the time apprentices needed away from work, which many employers found difficult to accommodate, especially in lower‑skilled roles.

Employers also became more likely to invest their funding in higher‑level programmes after the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017.

The most common sector subject area for apprenticeship starts in 2024/25 was business, administration and law, which accounted for 31.8% of all starts. Health, public services and care was the next largest area at 21.2%, meaning over half of apprenticeships were in one of these two subjects. Engineering and manufacturing (14.1%) and digital technology (9.7%) were also popular, bringing the combined share of these four areas to more than three‑quarters of all starts.

The least common subject areas were arts, media and publishing, science and maths, social sciences, and history, philosophy and theology. Each made up less than 1% of apprenticeship starts in 2024/25.

Notes

1. Apprenticeship statistics for England, House of Commons Library, 2025.
2. Level 7 apprenticeships: funding cuts explained, Prospects, 2025.
3. No more Advanced Learning loans for apprentices after low take-up, House of Commons Library, 2014.
4. Create your own tables on apprenticeships, GOV.UK.
5. Ibid.
6. Create your own tables on apprenticeships, GOV.UK.
7. Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships a qualitative investigation, Department for Education, 2020.

Written by

Laura Greaves

Senior information analyst

Prospects Luminate