The tenth annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will take place from 6 to 10 March 2017 showcasing how apprenticeships are a ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ to a brighter future for all.

The Week, which is led and co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, will highlight the success of apprenticeships over the last decade, celebrating the positive impact on individuals, businesses and the economy.

A huge range of organisations, including employers, apprentices, learning providers, colleges and schools will support the Week by hosting events and activities.

Sue Husband, Director, National Apprenticeship Service said:

“Year-on-year I am overwhelmed by how many organisations get behind National Apprenticeship Week to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

“I have no doubt that this, our 10th National Apprenticeship Week, will be our biggest and best yet. Today’s launch event has showcased some brilliant apprenticeship success whilst also demonstrating how apprenticeships have benefited both apprentices and employers.

“Apprentices are on the path to a great career with an apprenticeship; and for employers, apprenticeships bring opportunity: to attract new talent, to offer progression for current staff, and to develop a motivated and highly qualified workforce. With apprenticeships available in 1500 job roles and covering more than 170 industries – there has never been a better time to get involved in apprenticeships.”

20 Key Facts about apprenticeships

1. There has never been a better time to employ an apprentice, or start an apprenticeship.
2. Up to 28,000 apprenticeship vacancies are available online at any one time.
3. There were 1,656,680 on-line apprenticeship applications in 2015 to 2016.
4. Apprenticeships are available in 1500 job roles, covering more than 170 industries, from advertising to youth work and from environmental engineering to legal.
5. More than 2,600 employers are involved in designing the new apprenticeships standards.
6. 270 apprenticeship standards have been published so far, of which over 84 are higher and degree apprenticeships.
7. There have been 4,300 starts on new standards in occupations such as Software Developer and Aerospace Engineer.
8. Apprenticeship participation now stands at a record level – 899,400 funded apprentices participated on an apprenticeship in the 2015 to 2016 academic year.
9. Nearly all apprentices feel that they acquire or improve their skills as a direct result of their apprenticeship.
10. Apprentices are most satisfied with the relevance of their training (89%), the quality of training (87%), their assessment on the job (86%) and the quality of feedback (86%).
11. Almost 9 out of every 10 apprenticeship employer hoping to achieve business benefits tell us that apprenticeships deliver – including 75% reporting that it has helped their business improve the quality of their product or service.
12. There are currently 100 higher and degree apprenticeships available, with more in development, including foundation degrees, HNDs and full honours degrees. These include job roles ranging from legal services to banking and engineering.
13. After finishing, 7 in 10 apprentices (77%) stay with the same employer.
14. 46% of apprentices had received a pay rise since completing their apprenticeship.
15. 36% of higher apprentices report getting a promotion after completing their apprenticeship.
16. Nearly 9 out of 10 (89%) apprentices were satisfied with their apprenticeship overall, and nearly three quarters (72%) were very satisfied.
17. The majority (92%) of apprentices in work felt that their apprenticeship had had a positive impact on their career.
18. Traineeships have been developed by employers making them a great stepping stone to an apprenticeship or other job.
19. Traineeships are continuing to grow – there were 24,100 traineeship starts in 2015 to 2016.
20. 94% of employers consider traineeships an effective way of increasing young people’s chances of finding paid jobs and apprenticeships.