Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Beatrice Barleon, comments on DfE apprenticeship data
"Although there has only been a small increase in the number of apprenticeships starts in the engineering and technology sectors (1.6%), it is encouraging to see that more women are entering the engineering and technology workforce via this route. 17.5% of all apprenticeship starts in the sector are by women, compared to 15.7% last year, with 16,980 female apprenticeship starts overall.
"However, in light of the government’s focus on opening up more opportunities for all young people, it is concerning to see the continued decline and plateauing of Level 2 and 3 engineering and technology apprenticeships. Level 2 apprenticeships have declined a further 8.7% over the last year and stand now at 21,900 compared to 45,800 starts in 2017/18, while level 3 apprenticeship starts have remained stable with only a small increase of 1%.
"For government to achieve its mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower we need more young people coming through the education and skills system into the workforce. And for government to achieve and break down barriers to opportunity, we need these young people to come from diverse backgrounds and be more representative of society. Only then will we solve the skills shortages across the country.
"We therefore need more apprenticeship opportunities to open up and look to government to work with industry and young people to achieve this."
For government to achieve its mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower we need more young people coming through the education and skills system into the workforce.
And for government to achieve and break down the barriers to opportunity, we need these young people to come from diverse backgrounds and be more representative of society.
— Beatrice Barleon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, EngineeringUK
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About EngineeringUK
EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit organisation that drives change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers. Our mission is to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be inspired, informed and progress into engineering and technology.
We work closely with our Corporate Members and in partnership with hundreds of organisations. We lead collaborative efforts to improve the impact of all engineering and tech inspiration and careers activities for young people through Tomorrow’s Engineers and managing The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code.
We ignite a passion for STEM among young people from all backgrounds through EUK Education and our school engagement programmes such as The Big Bang. Our careers resources help teachers bring STEM to life through real-world engineering and tech stories via Neon.
Our research and evidence build insight into the current workforce and our future needs. And our evaluations build understanding of what really works to inspire and inform the next generation. We also advocate for policy development in STEM and careers education and workforce planning for engineering and tech.
