The Department for Education (DfE) has released new data on apprenticeships in England, showing a modest but welcome increase in engineering and technology starts. Becca Gooch, head of research at
EngineeringUK said after analysing the figures: “We are pleased to see that engineering and technology apprenticeship starts have increased by 5%. This comes at a time when we urgently need more people entering careers in the sector. Skills England has identified that the engineering, construction and digital technologies sectors will experience some of the largest increases in job demand between now and 2030.”
She highlighted the importance of diversity in the workforce: “Boosting apprenticeship starts among underrepresented groups is crucial to building a more resilient workforce. We are therefore pleased to see that more women are starting engineering and technology apprenticeships — 20% of all apprenticeship starts in the sector in 2024/25 were by women, up from 17% in 2023/24.
“However, while a step in the right direction, this still represents a significant gender imbalance. EngineeringUK and partners in the Gender Pathways collective continue to look across the education and employment systems to identify, build and advocate for solutions that can accelerate progress.”
While level 2 engineering and technology apprenticeship starts have stabilised after a long-term decline, Becca Gooch warns that access for younger people remains a concern. She added: “Starts among under-19s have declined overall and growth is concentrated in the 20-plus age group. This raises concerns about access to these routes for young people.”
The Government introduced foundation apprenticeships to provide paid entry routes for young people, but none were recorded in the 2024/25 academic year.
She concluded: “It may be a steep hill to climb to achieve the Government’s expectation of 30,000 young people starting a foundation apprenticeship before the end of this Parliament (by 2029). We explored some of the issues that the Government must tackle to ensure that foundation apprenticeships are successful in our recent report on this topic. We urge the Government to keep engaging with industry representatives and employers, to maximise apprenticeship opportunities for young people starting their career at level 2.”