Recently released figures show that the UK is on target to hit the government’s goal of three million new apprentice starts in the 2015/16 year. In Q1 (August to October 2015), 153,100 apprentices started – a 4% increase over the previous year’s Q1. This is good news for manufacturing, which is one of the industries most likely to hire apprentices. Additionally, the figures demonstrate that more employers, young people, and schools are viewing apprenticeships as an important stepping stone to training, qualifications and a career in engineering and manufacturing.
This increasing demand for and supply of apprentices is part of the reason EEF invested an additional £2 million in our state-of-the-art apprentice training centre in the West Midlands. Effective training is part of the key to employers seeing the value of apprentices in their workforce.
If you’re interested in starting an apprenticeship programme or curious about how EEF helps employers recruit and train apprentices, take a look at our employer resources on our Apprentice website.