Opening up engineering apprenticeships for young people
Why are fewer young people taking up engineering and technology apprenticeships? When we asked the question, for some the answer was simply that young people weren’t interested in them. We weren’t convinced the explanation was that simple. Our research had identified a worrying long-term decline in engineering and technology apprenticeships, particularly among younger people. And with the sector needing more engineers and technicians, we needed to understand what was driving that decline.
Apprenticeships offer young people an important route into engineering and technology careers, allowing them to develop practical skills while gaining experience in the workplace. They are particularly important for training the technicians the sector needs.
We wanted to understand why fewer young people were taking that route and what could be done about it. We knew that tackling the problem would require more than research alone.
We needed to understand the experiences of young people, employers and education providers, identify the barriers preventing apprenticeships from growing and build support for practical solutions. We also needed to make sure those findings reached the people making decisions about education and skills policy.
Creating an education system fit for the future
So, we worked with 2 former government ministers: Lord David Willetts, a former Conservative universities and science minister, and Lord James Knight, a former Labour minister. Together, they launched the Fit for the Future inquiry, bringing independent scrutiny and cross-party experience to the challenge.
Over 3 months, around 90 organisations and businesses responded to the inquiry, sharing their experiences of engineering and technology apprenticeships. The EngineeringUK research team analysed the evidence. We looked at the challenges facing young people trying to access apprenticeships, employers considering offering them and education providers supporting those pathways.
What emerged was a much more complicated picture than a simple lack of interest. Some employers worried about the financial risks of investing in younger apprentices. And for young people, practical barriers such as transport could make opportunities difficult to access.
Apprenticeships are a popular option for people trying to get started in meaningful work. Despite successive governments promoting them and raising their profile, the availability of apprenticeships - especially for young people - has not kept up with demand.
— Lord Jim Knight
There were also wider questions about how technical education was valued, how apprenticeships were funded and whether young people received the support they needed to succeed.
The findings helped build a clearer understanding of what needed to change. The resulting Fit for the Future report set out a 5-point plan to grow and sustain engineering and technology apprenticeships for young people.
Its recommendations included giving technical and academic pathways equal recognition within education, providing better support for young people throughout their apprenticeships and ensuring long-term funding. It called for more businesses, particularly smaller employers, to be supported to offer apprenticeships. And for employers themselves to play a greater role in creating opportunities.
Engineering apprenticeships are a particularly important and well-regarded part of our engineering ecosystem. My late father ran the apprenticeship training programme for a Midlands engineering company, IMI. I remember how proud he was when one of his apprentices went on to become CEO.
— Lord David Willetts
But publishing the report was only the start. We used the findings and recommendations to engage with government, parliamentarians, businesses and organisations across the education and skills sector.
Where others had reached similar conclusions, we worked with them to strengthen the case for change. The think tank Onward had also called for apprenticeship funding to be refocused towards young people. By sharing evidence and insight, we helped reinforce common recommendations and build momentum around the changes needed.
This approach reflects how we bring together research, policy expertise and relationships across the engineering community to help inform decisions that affect young people's futures.
Since the inquiry
Since the inquiry, there have been several government announcements that reflect priorities for which we and our partners have been advocating. We called for apprenticeship funding to be refocused towards younger people and for more support to help them access opportunities. The government has subsequently introduced foundation apprenticeships, designed to help young people develop skills and progress into further training and employment.
One of the aims of the apprenticeship inquiry was to investigate what more could be done to ensure apprenticeships continue to contribute to social mobility. It was great to work with the expert team at EngineeringUK as we tackled that challenge. Engineering is all about system thinking and that is just what we need for good public policy.
— Lord David Willets
Changes to government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships have also placed greater emphasis on younger learners. And additional support has been announced to address financial barriers for some young people and their families.
These developments reflect an increasing policy focus on improving access to apprenticeships for young people, a change we have been advocating alongside others across the sector.
We’ve also called for a broader, more balanced school curriculum and greater recognition of technical education alongside academic pathways. There is still work to do. However, the inquiry helped establish a strong evidence base. It informs ongoing discussions about how the apprenticeship system can both support young people and meet the needs of the engineering and technology sector.
It was important to better understand the barriers. The inquiry allowed us to do that, and the findings remain just as important today. The labour market is changing rapidly, and we need to remain vigilant so that apprenticeships keep up as whole occupations radically change.
— Lord Jim Knight
Impact of the report
The impact of Fit for the Future goes beyond individual policy announcements. The inquiry strengthened our position in education and skills policy. Through this work we have built important relationships and we continue to contribute evidence to discussions about the future of apprenticeships. We now work closely with Skills England. We also continue to bring together perspectives from employers, education providers and other stakeholders to inform policy development.
That work matters because the barriers facing young people cannot be addressed by any one organisation. Employers need the confidence and support to offer opportunities. Education providers need the resources to prepare young people for them. And government needs evidence to develop policies that make apprenticeships accessible and sustainable.
We help connect those perspectives, turning research into practical recommendations and bringing the sector together to make the case for change. What began with a question about declining apprenticeship numbers has developed into an ongoing programme of evidence, collaboration and policy engagement.
We continue to advocate for an apprenticeship system that works better for young people. In doing so, we’re helping create more opportunities for the next generation to build careers in engineering and technology.
It was delightful working with EngineeringUK because they bring the perfect combination of sector expertise and professional rigour.
— Lord Jim Knight
