Overview
This briefing contains analysis of the latest engineering and technology-related apprenticeships data. It is based on the Department for Education (DfE)’s full year (2024/25) data for England, released on 27 November 2025. The briefing covers overall apprenticeship starts, and looks at breakdowns by age, level, gender, ethnicity, disability, and region. It also looks at trends over recent years of apprenticeships data in England.
Who this is for
- Employers
- Policymakers
- Professional Engineering Institutions
- Researchers
Key findings
- There were 353,500 apprenticeships starts across all subjects in 2024/25
- 29% (102,280) of starts were in engineering and technology-related subjects
- Engineering and technology-related apprenticeship starts have increased by 5% since 2023/24, higher than the 4% increase across all sector subject areas
- This increase is driven by Digital Technology apprenticeships, which have seen an increase in starts of 17% between 2023/24 and 2024/25
- The trend of declining starts in level 2 apprenticeships and increasing starts at higher levels (levels 4, 5, 6 and 7) has continued in 2024/25 both in engineering and technology and other apprenticeship subjects
- Participation in apprenticeships by young people under 19 continues to decline. They made up 21% of all apprenticeship starts and 33% of engineering and technology-related starts
- All English regions saw an increase in apprenticeships starts between 2023/24 and 2024/25, and all saw an increase in higher level apprenticeships
- Female starts now account for 20% of engineering and technology-related apprenticeship starts, up 18% since 2023/24 and 94% since 2018/19
- 16% of starts in engineering and technology-related apprenticeships in 2023/24 were by people from a UK minority ethnic background, up from 8% in 2018/19
We are pleased to see that engineering and technology apprenticeship starts have increased by 5%. This comes at a time when we urgently need more people entering careers in the sector. Skills England has identified that the engineering, construction and digital technologies sectors will experience some of largest increases in job demand between now and 2030.
— Becca Gooch, Head of Research at EngineeringUK
