Guest pelmetman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Apprenticeships attract 11 applications per vacancy By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter Apprenticeships in construction, manufacturing and engineering are popular Year-long apprenticeships urged A record 11 applications are being made for each apprenticeship vacancy in the UK, the latest official data suggests. Almost 370,000 applications were submitted between February and April, while 32,600 vacancies were advertised in the same period. But competition was as high as 17 per place in the arts, media and ICT. The National Apprenticeship Service said there had been a 32% increase in demand for such subsidised on-the-job training placements since last year. However, vacancies have not kept pace with rising demand, going up only 15% over the same period in the previous year. The number of applications per vacancy went above 11 for the first time, although it had been hovering around 10 for some time, according to the NAS. Nonetheless, the NAS said there were 17,700 available vacancies online late last month, the highest on record. Alternative career route The most popular area for apprenticeships was business and administration, with 101,510 applications made and 7,702 vacancies posted online. But those seeking apprenticeships in the arts, publishing, media and ICT face the stiffest competition with 17 applications per vacancy. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said apprenticeships were fast becoming the norm for young people who want to achieve their career goals through an alternative route to university. But he appealed to more businesses to offer young people a chance to train in their companies. He said: "We want more employers to take advantage of the advice and support available from the National Apprenticeship Service and consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their business." Grants of £1,500 NAS executive director David Way said the figures demonstrated that the popularity of apprenticeships continued to rise and in a greater range of occupations than before. "The increase in vacancies shows that more and more individuals are seeing apprenticeships as a great way to start out in their chosen career." Government offers small and medium-sized companies grants of £1,500 to take on a 16 to 24-year-old as an apprentice. After moves to strengthen apprenticeships, they all now have to meet centrally specified standards and last at least a year. The changes came following the government-commissioned Richard review, which said the definition of apprenticeship had been "stretched too far" and needed to be rethought. Shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden said: "At a time when there are almost one million young people out of work, creating new quality apprenticeships was a key test for David Cameron. "But today's figures show that as demand massively outstrips supply, this Tory-led government has failed to deliver the apprenticeships this country needs." Liz Field, chief executive of Financial Skills Partnership, said the figures show there had been a positive reaction to apprenticeship training for the finance sector, which has not traditionally trained workers through the apprenticeship route. "However, there is now an even bigger challenge to businesses to further embrace apprenticeships and roll them out in a way that better meets this increased demand. This does mean more apprenticeship places are needed and the focus should remain on quality of the apprenticeship offered by employers." Vacancies advertised on the NAS database account for 80% of all UK vacancies. A step in the right direction at last..............I still wouldn't take on a apprentice though ;-).....................as I know all about the grief and hassle involved *-)...............and that was in the 70's :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 pelmetman - 2013-05-31 7:34 PM A step in the right direction at last..............I still wouldn't take on a apprentice though ;-).....................as I know all about the grief and hassle involved *-)...............and that was in the 70's :D Yes it's a sad fact that many businesses have neglected apprenticeships over the years, and yet they are crying out for apprentice trained people, only this week I had my third open offer of work this year with the comment of "well if you ever want work we need people trained like you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 colin - 2013-05-31 9:57 PM pelmetman - 2013-05-31 7:34 PM A step in the right direction at last..............I still wouldn't take on a apprentice though ;-).....................as I know all about the grief and hassle involved *-)...............and that was in the 70's :D Yes it's a sad fact that many businesses have neglected apprenticeships over the years, and yet they are crying out for apprentice trained people, only this week I had my third open offer of work this year with the comment of "well if you ever want work we need people trained like you." You mean they have no use for someone with a degree in media studies 8-)..........progress eh? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Who got rid of apprecenticeships and replaced them with the discredited and worthless NVQ then. No prizes for knowing it was the good old industry ignorant tories. The same lot that almost totally destroyed this countries manufacturing industry. I wouldn't let any of that bunch of toffee nosed idiots run a burger stall. >:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 47 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 peter - 2013-05-31 10:12 PM Who got rid of apprecenticeships and replaced them with the discredited and worthless NVQ then. No prizes for knowing it was the good old industry ignorant tories. The same lot that almost totally destroyed this countries manufacturing industry. I wouldn't let any of that bunch of toffee nosed idiots run a burger stall. >:-) True, but in the interests of balance don't forget that so-called Labour had 13 years to do something about it (and many other Tory iniquities) and sat on its collective hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Online applications for apprenticeships up by a third Online demand for apprenticeships far outstrips supply Online applications for apprenticeships in the UK have risen almost a third, according to data released by the National Apprenticeship Service. More than 1.4 million applications were made during the 12 months to the end of July, up 32% compared with last year. Demand far outstripped supply, with an average of 11 applicants for each of the 129,000 vacancies posted online. Live event promotion was the most popular job area, with 35 applicants per vacancy. Vacancies in plumbing and heating were the next most popular, with 33 applicants for each apprenticeship. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said: "We want to see it become the norm that young people either go to university or into an apprenticeship. "To match the growing popularity of apprenticeships, I would urge more employers to consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their business." Maybe the thought of paying 1000's for a useless degree no longer attracts ;-)..........Progress eh? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 A 12 month apprenticeship. The mind boggles. I spent that long at Tec College on a basic engineering course before getting an 5 year apprenticeship. At the end of that one was qualified but classed as an "improver for a bit longer and there was still plenty to learn. There is no susbstitute for the university of experience but the fees are high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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