Increase in numbers in Apprenticeships

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced last month that Apprenticeship starts have topped half a million.  In the 2011-12 academic year, 520,600 people started an Apprenticeship  –  an increase of 13.9% on the previous year and 86.1% since 2009-10.  Engineering did particularly well, with starts up 21.5% to 59,480.  Growth in Higher Apprenticeships was also strong, increasing by 67.6%.  The £25 million Higher Apprenticeship Fund has resulted in 29 projects set to create 20,000 Higher Apprenticeship places over the next three years in careers such as engineering, law and accountancy.  For more details of the report, click here; for further information about local and national Apprenticeship opportunities, follow the Useful Links at the left of this page.