In a breakdown of the 502,500 new apprenticeship starts for 2011/2012, announced by the government this month, the number of traditional apprenticeships such as engineering and construction has fallen, while the number of apprenticeships offered in management and other white-collar roles has rocketed.
Based on provisional figured for the period, the number of engineering apprenticeships fell 30% to 12,890 and the number of construction apprenticeships dropped to 12,850 - a fall of 18%.
Shadow Minister for Further Education, Skills and Regional Growth Gordon Marsden called the reduction of apprenticeships in engineering and construction a serious concern, saying: “These figures come on top of continuing gloom about decline in construction industry activity and echo the worrying fall in apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds.”
Management Apprenticeships on the rise
However, the number of management apprenticeships rose to 43,330, compared to a mere 880 in 2003/4.
Matthew Street, the Interim Head of Development of business apprenticeship issuing authority Skills CFA, says: “Management and leadership skills have a huge impact on the development, productivity and performance of organisations of all sizes, in all sectors.
“We’re really pleased with the increase in management apprenticeships over the past few years, with the numbers suggesting a real tipping point has been reached for team-leading and management apprenticeships.
“To us, this suggests that there is increasing acceptance that apprenticeships aren’t just for learning basic skills or for younger learners. Skills CFA ... have been promoting this for many years.”
Other white-collar apprenticeships soon to be offered include underwriting and actuarial positions for insurer Aviva, throughout the UK, with salaries starting at £14,500 - and a £500 welcome bonus.
Prudential Insurance is about to start a recruitment drive for its 12-to-18-month apprenticeship scheme, offering positions in London, Reading and Stirling in Scotland.
And outsourcer Capgemini, with clients including HM Revenue & Customs, the Metropolitan Police, Unilever, Tesco and Rolls-Royce, is looking to recruit a total of 230 apprentices in 2013.
So even though it appears more traditional apprenticeships like engineering and construction may be on the wane, the slack has been taken up by the ever-increasing number of white-collar apprenticeships being offered today.
