Apprenticeship statistics for England

Skills and training are devolved policy areas. This Briefing Paper covers apprenticeships in England.

Constituency data on apprenticeship starts is available on the Library dashboard Constituency data: Apprenticeships. 

The chart below shows the number of apprenticeship starts in England from 1999/2000 to 2024/25.

Apprenticeship starts in 2024/25

In 2024/25, there were 353,500 apprenticeship starts in England. 761,500 people were participating in an apprenticeship and there were 198,300 apprenticeship achievements.

Starts increased from 2023/24, when there were 340,000 starts. Participation increased from 737,000 and achievements increased from 178,000.

The current apprenticeship scheme was launched in 1994. Starts did not exceed 200,000 until 2007/08. Starts rose rapidly in 2010/11 due to an increase in apprenticeship funding and then remained at approximately 500,000 a year until 2017/18.  

The number of starts fell in 2017/18 in response to the introduction of a new apprenticeship funding system in May 2017. The number of starts fell again in 2019/20 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Starts by apprentice characteristics

The age distribution of learners is similar in 2024/25 as in the previous five years of data. The number of men and women beginning apprenticeships is also similar. The proportion of learners with a learning difficulty or disability has increased from 11.2% to 16.1%. The proportion of learners who are BAME has also increased, from 12.8% to 19.2%.

Starts by apprenticeship characteristics

The proportion of apprenticeships at intermediate level has declined over the last five years. The proportion of apprenticeship starts at higher level has increased, and the proportion of advanced apprenticeships is similar.

Over three-quarters of starts were in one of four subject areas: Business, Administration and Law; Health, Public Services and Care; Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies; and Digital Technology.