Demand for degree apprenticeships quadruples in three years

Demand for degree apprenticeships quadruples in three years Hannah Larsen, an official with the British Chambers of Commerce, noted that interest in degree apprenticeships is growing “at a clip erstwhile businesses' operating margins are nether expanding pressure.” She explained that higher employment costs and broader economic uncertainty have led many firms to pause recruitment, disproportionately affecting younger and less‑experienced workers. Larsen also pointed out that there is “considerable uncertainty implicit the aboriginal of apprenticeship funding.” At the Yorkshire‑based manufacturer Fives, most apprentices are enrolled at entry levels and study at nearby Keighley College, although only one degree apprentice is currently registered. Jo Jackson, head of quality resources at Fives, said she would like to take on more apprentices but finds training expensive and the curriculum insufficiently adaptable. “Business needs are changing each the time, but it's very, precise hard to alteration the syllabus,” Jackson remarked. She added, “If we deliberation astir AI and however it's changing the satellite of work, the apprenticeships don't screen that,” and observed that “They can't alteration rapidly capable to support up.” Stephen Evans, chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute, warned that competition for apprenticeship places is especially steep for certain groups, stating that “you are less apt to get 1 if you're from a working-class family.” A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the government is introducing a bursary for apprentices whose families receive Universal Credit. The spokeswoman also said, “We're backing employers who instrumentality connected young apprentices, including hiring incentives worthy up to £8,000, and making apprenticeship grooming wholly escaped for businesses for eligible young radical aged 16 to 24.”