This release shows full-year data on apprenticeships in England for the 2024/25 academic year covering the period August 2024 to July 2025, based on data returned by providers in October 2025.
Please note that the ‘Explore data and files used in this release’ section contains the underlying files and featured tables that underpin this release. You can also view featured tables or create your own table using the ‘create your own tables' functionality.
Feedback on apprenticeship dashboards
We are asking for feedback on the interactive dashboards that we publish to accompany this release. Your feedback will help determine the future development of dashboards and how they complement the tables and data made available through this Apprenticeships release.
Please see ‘View related dashboard(s)’ section for links to the dashboards and information about how you can provide feedback.
The number of all age (16+) apprenticeship programmes started in England.
Participation (Aug-Jul)
761,480
up by 3.4% from 2023/24
What is participation?
The number of all age (16+) learners participating on an apprenticeship in England.
Achievements (Aug-Jul)
198,330
up by 11.3% from 2023/24
What are achievements?
The number all age (16+) apprenticeship programmes achieved in England.
Figures for the 2024/25 academic year:
Apprenticeship starts were up by 4.1% to 353,500 compared to 339,580 reported for the previous year.
Learner participation increased by 3.4% to 761,480 compared to 736,530 the previous year.
Apprenticeship achievements increased by 11.3% to 198,330 compared to 178,220 in the previous year. Please note: COVID-19 restrictions and assessment flexibilities affected the timing of achievements, therefore care must be taken when comparing achievements between years as some achievements expected in a given academic year may have been delayed to the subsequent year.
Of the 353,500 apprenticeship starts for the 2024/25 academic year:
Higher apprenticeships continue to grow in 2024/25. Higher apprenticeship starts increased by 15.1% to 140,730 compared to 122,230 in 2023/24.
Starts at Level 6 and 7 increased compared to 2023/24 by 20.4% to 60,350, with 26,780 starts at level 6 and 33,560 at level 7. Starts at Level 6 and 7 represent 17.1% of all starts for 2024/25. There were 50,110 Level 6 and 7 starts in the previous year (14.8% of all starts).
The sector subject area with the highest number of starts is Business, Administration and Law at 103,890. Starts in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment (24,590) and in Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (46,070) have seen slight increases compared to the previous year.
Starts supported by Apprenticeship Service Account (ASA) levy funds accounts for 68.8% (243,340) in 2024/25.
Learner characteristics show:
Under 19s accounted for 21.2% of starts (74,990).
Learners recorded as having a Learning difficulty/disability (LLDD) increased by 6.9%, to 56,810 from 53,150 in the previous year. This accounts for 16.7% of the cohort, compared to 16.2% the previous year.
Learners recorded from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) backgrounds increased by 13.7% to 62,880 from 55,280 the previous year. This now accounts for 18.0% of the cohort, compared to 16.5% the previous year.
Indicative 2023/24 achievement rates by region for 19+ learners doing English/maths qualifications alongside their apprenticeship. Figures are not directly comparable with official statistics on Qualification Achievement Rates and are indicative.
Indicative 2022/23 achievement rates for those doing English/maths qualifications alongside their apprenticeship. Figures are not directly comparable with official statistics on Qualification Achievement Rates. Includes 2023/24 starts for context.
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeships. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files"
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeships. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files"
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeships. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files"
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeships. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files"
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeships. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files"
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeship starts. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files".
This contains data on apprenticeship adverts and vacancies posted on the Find an apprenticeship website. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files".
This contains lots of additional data on apprenticeship starts arising from transferred commitments. Full details of all our underlying data files can be found in the document called "Metadata for underlying data files".
There are three supporting dashboards to accompany this release: two Power BI dashboards and an additional new R Shiny dashboard.
Power BI dashboards
The interactive dashboard (opens in new tab) allows users to investigate apprenticeship provision by level, standards, provider, learner characteristics and geographical area.
Note: data cannot be downloaded directly from the Power BI dashboards. The data within the dashboards is available via the underlying data in the ‘Additional supporting files’ section or the data catalogue.
R Shiny dashboard
The R Shiny provider dashboard (opens in new tab) replicates much of the content and some of the functionality of the existing Power BI provider-focussed dashboard, but in addition allows users to download data directly for the selections they have made.
Feedback
We welcome feedback on these dashboards, in particular the navigation, functionality and features of the two versions (Power BI and R Shiny). Your feedback will help determine the future development of dashboards and how they complement the tables and data made available through the Apprenticeships release.
We would therefore be grateful if you would complete the following survey (opens in new tab). This should take no more than 5 minutes.
This statistical release presents finalised information on all age (16+) apprenticeships starts, achievements and participation in England for the 2024/25 academic year.
Also published are official statistics covering:
Apprenticeship service commitments
Employers reporting the withdrawal of apprentices due to redundancy
A separate release covers overall further education and skills data, please see ‘Further education and skills’. Please note that the FE and skills release includes the adult apprenticeships published here in its headline figures.
Individualised Learner Record (ILR) administrative data
The apprenticeship data in this release are based on the fourteenth ILR data return from FE and apprenticeship providers for the 2024/25 academic year. This finalised return was taken in October 2025. The ILR is an administrative data collection system designed primarily for operational use in order to fund training providers for learners in FE and on apprenticeship programmes.
Quarterly release schedule:
Quarter 1: Data from August to October published in January
Quarter 2: Data from August to January published in March
Quarter 3: Data from August to April published in July
Full Year: Data from August to July published in November
Note: The academic year in the FE publications covers August to July.
National achievement rate tables data
Figures in the ‘national achievement rate tables’ section are as published in March 2025. These official statistics cover achievement rates for the 2023/24 academic year and would have been previously released as part of the standalone National achievement rate tables publication.
Provider reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic
Historic data in this publication covers periods affected by varying COVID-19 restrictions, which will have impacted on apprenticeship learning. Therefore, extra care should be taken in comparing and interpreting data presented in this release.
The furlough scheme may also have impacted on how aspects of ILR data were recorded, such as how the ‘learning status’ of a learner was captured, e.g. whether a learner was recorded as a continuing learner or whether they were recorded as being on a break in learning while still being with an employer.
How to find data and featured tables in this release
The content of the publication contains charts and tables which highlight key figures and trends that give an overview of the national picture of the apprenticeship landscape.
At relevant points within each commentary section there are links to “featured tables” that offer the next level of detail behind each of the tables embedded within the release. The table builder tool “featured tables” sit within, also enables the user to amend content, reorder and take away to meet their needs.
The user can also choose just to explore the data within this release by using the 'Explore data and files used in this release' section. Here the user can either select “view or create your own tables” to view all of the ready-made “featured tables” in a single list, or build their own table by selecting a datafile that underpins the release, or use one of the featured tables as a starting point.
There are also dashboards that provide interactive presentation of our published data, with a number of different views on to data and ‘drilldown’ capability to allow users to investigate apprenticeship provision. It is particularly helpful in viewing data across different geographical areas and providers. See the View related dashboard(s) section for the dashboard links.
This release also contains an ‘Additional supporting files’ accordion containing mainly csv files that can be downloaded, which provide some additional breakdowns including unrounded data. They are provided for transparency to enable analysts to re-use the data in this release. A metadata document is available in the same location which explains the content of these supporting files. Please note some of the files are too large for proprietary software such as Excel and may need specialist analysis software such as R, SQL, etc.
Feedback
We continually look to improve our data and statistics and your feedback is important to help us further improve and develop. To provide feedback on this release, please email us at FE.OFFICIALSTATISTICS@education.gov.uk
The figures in this section relate to full-year final data up to and including the 2024/25 academic year and were first published in November 2025.
Changing apprenticeship landscape
Reform of the apprenticeships programme, along with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced the trends presented in this section. Three main factors are set out in the graphic below.
History of apprenticeship participation
Adult Participation
Participation in apprenticeships by adults aged 19+ in 2024/25 was 630,600 – an increase of 4.4% on the 2023/24 figure of 603,900.
Putting those figures into context, the total number of adults participating in all further education and skills was around 1.8 million in 2024/25.
All age apprenticeship participation by level
There was a steady decline in total participation between 2016/17 and 2020/21with learner numbers falling by over a fifth from 908,700 to 713,000.
Apprenticeship starts declined at a faster rate than seen for participation during the same period, falling by a third. The transition to apprenticeship standards, the decline in shorter intermediate apprenticeships and the growth in longer apprenticeships at level 4 and above help explain this difference.
Participation has risen to 761,500 in 2024/25, an increase of 3.4% on 2023/24 and 6.8% higher than the recent low in 2020/21.
The continued increase in participation at higher levels has more than offset the decline at intermediate level during this time. Participation in intermediate apprenticeships fell by 52,500 (28.3% between 2020/21 and 2024/25), but higher apprenticeship participation increased by 95,900 (46.1%).
Subject, Level and Age
The 353,500 starts reported for the 2024/25 academic year are 4.1% higher than the 339,580 reported for 2023/24, and 4.9% higher than the 337,140 reported for 2022/23.
Final figures reported to the end of 2024/25 show:
Accelerated growth in higher level apprenticeships with starts at their highest volume and 15.1% greater than in 2023/24. Four in ten starts (39.8%) were at Level 4 and above, compared to 36.0% in the previous year.
Intermediate level apprenticeship starts continued to fall – 7.3% down on the previous year. Level 2 apprenticeships made up 18.6% of all starts.
Starts in degree-level apprenticeships (level 6 and 7) have grown from 50,110 to 60,350 and represented 17.1% of all starts in 2024/25.
Much of the growth in apprenticeship starts in the last year has come at Level 7 and is a likely reaction to the announcement that from January 2026, Level 7 apprenticeships will only be government-funded for young people aged 16 to 21, and for care leavers or those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are under 25 at the start of their apprenticeship. Starts at Level 7 have increased by 40.7% to 33,560, making up nearly one in ten of all starts in 2024/25.
Over half of all starts (51.3%) were for apprentices aged 25 and over, increasing from 48.4% in 2023/24. The share of starts for under-19s dropped to 21.2% from 23.2% in the same period. The rise in Level 7 apprenticeships starts explains much of the shift in age profile.
Science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) subjects accounted for 29.1% of starts – a small increase from 28.7% in the previous year. 2020/21 saw a disproportionately large drop in starts for STEM subjects – falling by 15.4% compared to 2019/20 while non-STEM grew by 5.7%.
Business, Administration and Law has increased its status as the most popular tier 1 subject area (accounting for 29.4% of starts). Starts in this subject area increased by 9.5% in the last year, while those in Health, public services and care (the second most popular subject) increased by 1.8%.
Digital Technology apprenticeships continue to grow. In 2022/23, Digital Technology was the only tier 1 subject area to see an increase in starts compared to 2021/22. During 2023/24, starts increased a further 7.9%, then have risen again by 16.7% in 2024/25. Digital Technology apprenticeships made up 8.9% of all starts in 2024/25.
Monthly starts
Much of the increase in starts in 2024/25 has been concentrated in the second half of the academic year. September starts were up by 4,870 (or 6.5%) compared to the previous year but these were more than cancelled out by decreases in August and October. Each of the final five months of the academic year have seen increases ranging from 6.0% in April to 20.8% in June. Increases in higher level starts seen in these months have contributed to this trend, particularly for Level 7 where starts in March, May, June and July 2025 were more than double those seen in 2024.
Further information can be found in the following featured tables:
Almost two-hundred thousand achievements (198,330) were reported for the 2024/25 academic year, the highest number since 2017/18. Achievements increased for the third successive year, up 11.3% on the 178,220 reported for 2023/24 and following rises of 9.8% and 18.3% in the preceding years.
Unlike the previous two years where achievements increased at every apprenticeship level, 2024/25 saw a fall of 5.5% in intermediate level apprenticeships.
Levy
Total starts supported by ASA levy funds were 243,340; this accounts for over two-thirds (68.8%) of all starts. Please see the Further education and skills statistics: methodology for more information about ASA levy funds.
Further information can be found in the following featured tables:
Apprenticeship starts tend to be by new employees with up to 3 months service, or established workers who have been with their employer for more than 12 months. Since 2021/22, there has been a growth in starts for those employed for more than 12 months and a fall for new employees. In 2024/25, apprentices employed for more than a year accounted for 43.8% of starts (where length of employment was known), compared to 40.5% who had been employed for up to 3 months.
Expected Duration
The expected duration of an apprenticeship is the difference between the associated start date and planned end date as recorded in the ILR.
Final figures for 2024/25 show that the average expected duration of an apprenticeship:
fell by 1.3% in the last year to 622 days (630 days in 2023/24)
is significantly higher for level 6 and 7 apprenticeships, though is declining over time.
Note: Previously published figures included some apprenticeships that were transferred between providers part way through study. These were counted against their new provider with reduced planned durations because of the learning already completed. Transferred starts have been removed from the calculations, resulting in a slight increase in average duration of 4 days on the previously published totals for 2023/24 and 2022/23.
The introduction of foundation apprenticeships and other shorter apprenticeships from August 2025 will affect future measures of average expected duration. We will review the presentation of these statistics for the 2025/26 publication.
Ethnicity
Starts by learners from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) as a proportion of all starts have increased year-on-year to 18.0% in 2024/25.
Over the five years since 2019/20, the largest growth has been seen in Asian/Asian British apprentices with a 56.1% increase in starts compared to 52.0% for mixed / multiple ethnic groups and 42.6% for Black / African / Caribbean / Black British learners. Starts by white learners increased by 4.3% over the same period.
Sex
Females accounted for 52.5% of starts in 2024/25. This percentage fluctuated over the years affected by Covid, with a high of 53.4% in 2020/21, preceded by a low of 48.8% in 2019/20. The share of starts by females has increased year-on-year since 2021/22.
Learning Difficulties / Disability
Apprentices declaring a learning difficulty or disability accounted for 16.7% of starts in 2024/25. This proportion has risen steadily from 10.1% in 2015/16.
Further information can be found in the following featured tables:
Starts in 2024/25 show varied trends across regions compared to 2023/24. Most regions recorded an increase in starts, except for the North East, and Outside of England and unknown. The East of England experienced the largest rise (7.2%), while the North East (-0.7%) and Outside of England and unknown (-1.3%) saw slight declines.
When adjusting for population size, London continuous to have the lowest rates of starts, participation, and achievement, despite its strong percentage growth. In contrast, the South West has the highest rates for starts, followed closely by the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber. The North East has the highest rate for achievements.
Apprenticeship starts, participation and achievement rates per population are also available at local authority district (LAD) level available via the ‘Explore data’ button in the map above.
Richmondshire historically had much higher rates than other areas due to Catterick Garrison and the prevalence of Army apprenticeships. Since joining the North Yorkshire unitary authority in 2022/23, rates remain above the national average but are far lower than Richmondshire’s previous levels.
Gosport and Fareham had the highest rates in 2024/25, due to the Royal Navy training bases - HMS Sultan in Gosport and HMS Collingwood in Fareham. The Royal Navy, like the Army, has a high apprenticeship uptake.
Further information can be found in the following featured tables:
Private sector, public funded providers were responsible for over two-thirds of starts (68.3%) in 2024/25 – an increase of 1.6 percentage points on the previous year, and higher than the 60.6% share of starts accounted for by these providers in 2019/20. Over the same period the share of starts in general FE colleges fell from 22.8% in 2019/20 to 15.9% in 2024/25.
As well as being organised by subject area, apprenticeship standards each fit into one of 15 occupational routes. The 15 routes group together skilled occupations with related knowledge and skill requirements and form the structure through which all technical education is now delivered. Skills England’s occupational maps (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) provide more information on occupational routes and where technical education can lead.
Business and Administration was the most popular route in 2024/25 accounting for just over a fifth (20.2%) of apprenticeship starts. The next four most popular routes all had a similar share of starts, ranging from 10.3% in Education and Early Years to 9.0% in Engineering and Manufacturing.
Starts on the Digital route have more than doubled over the last few years, rising from 14,760 in 2020/21 to 31,410 in 2024/25.
The last year has seen starts fall by over 1,500 in each of the Health and Science, Sales Marketing and Procurement, and Hair and Beauty routes compared to 2023/24.
Additional Funding for Employers and Training Providers
In addition to the care leavers’ bursary, training providers and employers receive a payment towards the additional cost associated with training if, at the start of the apprenticeship, the apprentice is:
aged between 16 and 18 years old, or
aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either:
an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority or
The following statistics are classified as official statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, rather than being classed as accredited official statistics and independently reviewed as such by the Office for Statistics Regulation (opens in new tab). The statistics are included for transparency purposes.
Find an apprenticeship service
Apprenticeship adverts and vacancies
The apprenticeship adverts and vacancies in this section are a snapshot of Find An Apprenticeship (opens in new tab) (FAA), a digital system supporting apprenticeship advertisement and recruitment. They represent only a subset of the total number of vacancies available across the marketplace, as many apprenticeships are not advertised through this website.
The number of vacancies advertised reflects the total number published on Find An Apprenticeship, but may not reflect the actual number of positions available. This is particularly the case for large national employers that may advertise the same positions across multiple locations simultaneously.
There were 57,820 adverts comprising 97,720 vacancies posted on Find An Apprenticeship in the 2024/25 academic year (August 2024 to July 2025). These are decreases of 13% and 8% respectively on 2023/24 when there were 66,550 adverts and 105,890 vacancies.
There were 11,860 adverts comprising 16,330 vacancies on Find An Apprenticeship between August and October 2025. These are decreases of 16% and 21% respectively on the same period the previous year when there were 14,170 adverts and 20,710 vacancies.
The ‘Underlying data – apprenticeship vacancies’ file in the ‘Additional supporting files’ accordion contains more information about the vacancies and adverts published on Find an apprenticeship. This file covers vacancies from August 2022 to October 2025.
Search for apprenticeship training by job role or keyword
Find training providers who offer the apprenticeship training you choose
Find a named training provider you want to use
Apprenticeship service data
Employers reporting the withdrawal of apprentices due to redundancy
From 30 July 2020, employers have been able to record on the Apprenticeship Service (AS) if an apprenticeship has ended due to a redundancy. This will provide more accurate and timely data on redundancies than that captured via the withdrawal reason’ on the ILR and will be a reliable ongoing source of data.
Additionally, employers can record information about redundancies at a later date on the AS, therefore the information can suffer from ‘data lag’ with information being recorded weeks or months after the redundancy actually happened. This particularly affects figures covering the most recent months.
In April 2018 it became possible for levy-paying organisations to transfer up to 10 per cent of the annual value of funds entering their apprenticeship service account to other organisations via the apprenticeship service. This increased to 25 per cent from April 2019 and 50 per cent from April 2024.
As of 29 October 2025, there have been 16,630 apprenticeship service commitments entered into the apprenticeship service with training start dates in the 2024/25 academic year, where the transfer of funds between ASAs has been approved (with 20 pending approval).
The number of fully agreed transferred commitments that have so far been recorded as apprenticeship starts on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) in the 2024/25 academic year is 16,104.
A csv file containing breakdowns of transfers that have been recorded as starts on the ILR can be downloaded from the ‘Additional supporting files’ accordion (see ‘Underlying data – starts arising from transferred commitments’).
Please note that providers may not record learners immediately on the ILR, so a lag may occur between a commitment being recorded in the apprenticeship service and the corresponding commitment being recorded as a start on the ILR.
Additionally, as commitments can be recorded/amended on the apprenticeship service system after the transfer approval date has passed, all data should be treated as provisional. Data are only fully captured when providers confirm details in the ILR. In the interests of transparency, what is known at this point of reporting has been included where possible.
Levy Transfers matching service
Pledges
As of 29 October 2025:
The total number of pledges made by levy-paying employers was 1,131.
the total number of applications submitted was 39,449 through 5,324 different Apprenticeship Service accounts.
The total number of apprentices applied for was 101,621. This figure will include employers submitting multiple applications for the same funding to different pledges. The number of unique apprenticeship positions applied for is difficult to determine, however it is likely to be in the range of 20 to 50 per cent of the total number of apprentices applied for.
The number of approved applications was 7,135.
Reservations
From 01 April 2021, all new apprenticeship starts have been via the apprenticeship service. Employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy must reserve apprenticeship funding for training and assessment (or have a reservation of funds completed on their behalf). Funding can be reserved up to 3 months in advance of the expected apprenticeship start date and should be reserved before apprenticeship training starts.
As of 29 October 2025:
Academic Year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2025/26
Total reservations made:
169,800
138,860
132,890
126,400
50,350
of which deleted:
4,780
2,870
2,040
3,030
1,300
of which expired:
48,510
38,880
28,150
18,150
190
Non-levy paying apprenticeship service accounts:
76,190
63,870
61,800
59,530
31,370
Supporting providers:
970
970
960
1,000
710
Please note that the 2025/26 academic year is partial. All figures are provisional and subject to change, in particular figures covering the most recent academic years.
Flexi Job Apprenticeship Agencies
Flexi-job apprenticeship agencies are a new initiative developed by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2021. They are organisations that recruit and employ apprentices and arrange placements with multiple host businesses for the duration of their apprenticeship. They aim to support sectors and occupations that often use short-term contracts or other non-standard employment models, such as construction, digital, and creative industries. They also help employers and apprentices overcome barriers that prevent them from using the traditional apprenticeship model, such as lack of flexibility, commitment, or funding. Flexi-job apprenticeship agencies provide a managed apprenticeship service that benefits both employers and apprentices.
Employers and apprentices can use an approved flexi-job apprenticeship agency where the agency:
employs the apprentice for the duration of their apprenticeship
arranges placements with host businesses
Apprenticeship starts and achievements through flexi-job apprenticeship agencies (FJAAs), 2021/22 to 2024/25
Academic year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
Number of FJAA apprenticeship starts
120
640
930
890
Number of FJAA apprenticeship Achievements
10
30
250
430
Source: Apprenticeship service commitments (as at 29 October 2025) matched to starts and achievements recorded on the ILR.
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. The 2024/25 academic year is partial, whereas previous years cover the full year. Starts through flexi-job apprenticeship agencies (FJAAs) are identified by matching commitments made by employers on the Apprenticeship Service (AS) to starts recorded by providers in the ILR. A specific code on the AS identifies FJAA commitments and providers are able to use LDM code (opens in new tab) 386 to identify those apprentices employed by FJAAs. Matched starts are counted if they carry either of these codes and the employer is identified as being on the register of FJAAs (opens in new tab).
Achievements are recorded where the learner has completed an apprenticeship programme aim in an academic year and has successfully passed an end point of assessment. Apprenticeships generally take over a year or more to complete, so comparisons of starts and achievements in an individual year will be misleading.
A small number of starts (fewer than 50) have not been included above, where the provider has recorded the associated LDM code on the ILR but so far no match to the apprenticeship service has been made.
The information in this section refers to trends in apprenticeship starts and achievements up to 2024/25, first published in November 2025.
The period from 2017 saw the introduction of key reforms to apprenticeships, including the apprenticeship levy, a new funding system and the completion of the transition from frameworks to employer-led apprenticeship standards, as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. DfE’s apprenticeships reform programme (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) policy paper provides more information on the reforms during this period.
In 2016/17, one in twenty apprenticeship starts (5%) were on standards. A year later this had increased to over two in five (44%) and by 2020/21 very nearly all starts (99%) were on standards.
Apprenticeship frameworks were withdrawn to new learners on 31 July 2020, however a small number of starts were recorded after this date in cases where it had been agreed a learner can return to a framework after an extensive break.
Apprenticeship starts on frameworks and standards 2015/16 to 2024/25
Source: Individualised Learner Record (ILR)
After increasing to 393,400 in 2018/19 (up 5% from a year earlier), apprenticeship starts fell by nearly a fifth (18%) to 322,500 in 2019/20 and remained at a similar level during 2020/21.
Covid-19 restrictions led to a fall in starts and the number of apprenticeship vacancies being advertised, and some employer failure and redundancies. In particular, the months from March to October 2020 saw a substantial reduction in the number of starts.
Apprenticeship starts have since recovered, with a return to the typical seasonal pattern. However, with a total of 353,500 new starts recorded in 2024/25, they remained some 10% below the level seen in 2018/19.
Apprenticeship starts by month, 2018/19 to 2024/25
Source: Individualised Learner Record (ILR)
Apprenticeship starts by level
The reforms to apprenticeships saw the development of employer-led standards to replace existing frameworks. This resulted in a move away from shorter duration (intermediate) apprenticeship courses towards those at a higher level and of typically longer duration.
Standards are designed to meet the requirements of occupations and industry sectors. They generally take longer to complete than frameworks as they include more off the job training and a rigorous end point assessment process.
In 2017/18, there was a similar proportion of apprenticeship starts at intermediate (43%) and advanced (44%) level, but less at higher level (13%). By 2024/25, higher level starts accounted for nearly 40% of all apprenticeship starts, whereas intermediate level starts accounted for around 19%. Meanwhile the proportion of advanced level starts remained relatively stable at 42%.
In 2024/25, the number of higher-level apprenticeships starts was the highest on record and intermediate starts the lowest.
The move towards courses of longer duration means that although the number of apprenticeship starts fell by 10% between 2018/19 and 2024/25, the level of participation has increased slightly over the same period, by 2.6% from 742,400 to 761,500.
Degree (level 6) apprenticeships saw consistent year-on-year increases between 2017/18 and 2021/22. Although the rate of increase has slowed in the last three years, starts have more than quadrupled from 6,400 in 2017/18 to 26,800 in 2024/25.
Starts on apprenticeships equivalent to master’s degrees (level 7) also saw rapid growth over this period, increasing more than fivefold from 4,500 to 23,900 in 2023/24. In the latest academic year, level 7 starts have increased by over 40% to 33,600, ahead of the January 2026 deadline from when Level 7 apprenticeships will only be government-funded for young people aged 16 to 21, and for care leavers or those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are under 25 at the start of their apprenticeship.
Tier 1 sector subject areas
Starts
When looking at apprenticeship starts across the tier 1 subject areas (refer to chart below) we see some differences in trends.
Recent trends are likely to have been influenced by employer demand for more higher-level courses and greater choice in standards that are being designed with employers. In addition, apprenticeship starts in certain subject areas were disproportionately affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions.
It should also be noted that we are considering subject areas in this section and not industry sectors. Data published in the department’s latest Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics shows that industry sectors offer apprenticeships in different subject areas. For example, the construction industry sector accounted for 7,200 (or 16%) of the 46,000 apprenticeship starts in the Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies tier 1 sector subject area in 2022/23.
After falling from a recent high of 118,600 in 2018/19 to a low of 90,700 in 2022/23, apprenticeship starts in Business, Administration and Law recovered in 2023/24 and 2024/25, making it once again the most popular subject for new apprentices, ahead of Health, Public Services and Care. Starts saw an annual increase of 5% in 2023/24, and a further 9%, rising to 103,900 in 2024/25. Much of the increase in the last year can be attributed to level 7 apprenticeships.
Starts in Health, Public Services and Care have fallen back slightly from a recent high of nearly 100,000 in 2021/22 to 96,300 in 2024/25. Increases in starts up to 2021/22, may in part have reflected an increase in demand in this sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Digital Technology continued its recent growth; having grown by 47% in the three years to 2023/24 (from 18,400 to 27,100), starts have increased by another 17% in the last year to 31,600.
After falling to a recent low of 20,000 in 2020/21, during the Covid-19 affected period, starts in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment increased in 2021/22, rising by 31% to 26,100, This represented a recent high for the subject area and despite falling back since then starts increased slightly in 2024/25 and remain above pre-pandemic levels, at 24,600.
Apprenticeships starts in Retail and Commercial Enterprise fell by 35% between 2018/19 and 2019/20, a rate of decline which was higher than that seen in any other subject area. Starts then recovered to 35,900 in 2021/22 as Covid-19 related restrictions were removed, but have since declined year-on-year to 27,900 in 2024/25 and remain below the level seen before the pandemic.
A similar pattern can be seen for apprenticeship starts in Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, although at 13% the rate of the fall in starts between 2018/19 and 2019/20 was considerably lower than that for Retail and Commercial Enterprise. Starts have recovered from a low in 2020/21 but have seen little change in the last few years. At 46,100 starts in 2024/25, they are also below the level seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Achievements
Apprenticeship achievements increased in all the most popular subject areas in 2024/25. Across all apprenticeship, achievements increased by 11% compared to the previous year and three subject areas in the top six met or exceeded that rate of increase.
Achievements in Health, Public Services and Care were up 19% to 57,400 compared to 2023/24, Digital Technology achievements were up 12% to 15,500 and Business, Administration and Law saw an increase of 11% to 55,400.
2024/25 marks the third successive year of increases in achievements, rising 45% from 137,200 in 2021/22 to 198,300. Large subject areas that have increased achievements above that rate over the same period include Digital Technology (up 76% to 15,500), Construction, Planning and the Built environment (up 70% to 13,110) and Health, Public Services and Care (up 68% to 57,400).
The following statistics are classified as official statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, rather than being classed as accredited official statistics and independently reviewed as such by the Office for Statistics Regulation (opens in new tab). The statistics are included for transparency purposes.
The National Achievement Rate Tables (NARTs) present detailed tables of provider level Qualification Achievement Rates (QARs) that we use for performance management and informed choice purposes. Additionally we provide some national summary tables to show overall performance in the sector with a three year time series to enable comparison of change in performance over time.
This release includes new data showing 2023/24 as first published in March 2025, along with historical data for 2021/22 and 2022/23. The historical figures have not been re-calculated and are shown as originally published in March 2024.
The overall apprenticeship achievement rate has seen an increase of 5.9 percentage points between 2022/23 and 2023/24 whilst the achievement rate for apprenticeship standards has seen an increase of 6.2 percentage points.
Changes in achievement rates are dependent on a combination of retention rates and pass rates. Pass rates have increased by 0.4 percentage points between 2022/23 and 2023/24 whilst retention rates have increased by 5.7 percentage points.
The apprenticeship achievement rate measure is additionally reliant on the persons continued employment and in some sectors there is higher churn so caution should be used interpreting simple averages because changes in provision mix across sectors will lead to change in overall averages.
Impact of the transition from Frameworks to Standards
When looking at achievement rates it is important to consider the impact of programme change in the nature of the provision resulting from the transition of frameworks to standards. Standards are designed to be more demanding than traditional frameworks. The assessment process is also more rigorous with a specific end point assessment phase following completion of training designed to ensure the apprentice is ready to do the job they have been trained for.
The proportion of learners on frameworks and standards has changed significantly since previous years. In 2019/20 the proportion of learners on standards stood at 46%. For 2023/24 the proportion has now reached 99%.
Apprenticeship achievement rates for individual standards and frameworks can be found here :
The mix of achievement rates across each sector subject area can be found to vary which can affect the national average, where figures could be found to be misleading.
For 2023/24 the sector subject area with the highest achievement rate is Education and Training with 69.1%. The area with the lowest was Retail and Commercial Enterprise (52.6%). All areas have seen an increase since last year. The area with the largest change was Leisure, Travel and Tourism with a rate of 67.9%, up ten percentage points on last year.
STEM subjects have an overall achievement rate of 61.8%, whereas non-STEM subjects have an overall achievement rate of 59.9%.
Overall apprenticeship achievement rates by learner characteristics
The figures in this section cover the achievement rates for those learners who are from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities). Please note the figures for “White” include white minorities.
In 2023/24, learners from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) had an overall apprenticeship achievement rate of 56.0%, an increase of 7.1 percentage points from 48.9% in 2022/23.
As is the case when looking into other learner attributes the variation in achievement rates by ethnicity is mainly driven by the mix of sector subject areas being undertaken. For 2023/24 this is driven by a large cohort volume of 13,220 leavers for the Health, Public Services and Care sector where 16.3% of all leavers were from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) and 12,570 for the Business, Administration and Law sector where 15.6% of all leavers were from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities). Those sectors had overall achievement rates of 55.5% and 54.6% respectively. By comparison, only 10.3% of leavers in the Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sector were from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities).
The sector with the highest achievement rate for learners from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) was Leisure, Travel and Tourism with 72.1%. The lowest achievement rate was for the Retail and Commercial Enterprise sector with 48.9%.
Caution should be used interpreting simple averages because differences in provision mix across sectors will lead to change in overall averages. Press the green ‘Explore data’ button above to look at the data by age, level, sector subject area.
Apprenticeship overall achievement rates by detailed level
The highest overall achievement rate is at level 6 with 69.1%. This has increased by 3.4 percentage points compared to 2022/23.
We have redacted one provider from 2023/24, one from 2022/23 and two providers from 2021/22 from our formal performance tables (NARTs) where we are unable to form a reliable QAR. This is done where the data we hold does not allow us to calculate a reliable estimate and therefore provides an unfair measure of performance. We publish headline information for these providers separately for transparency, but they do not constitute a formal QAR and should not be used to compare performance. The underpinning data is included in our national achievement rates to provide a complete view of performance. Details can be found in the ‘Apprenticeship Achievement Rates – Transparency Redactions.pdf’ supporting file in the ‘Additional supporting files’ accordion.
Further information can be found in the following featured tables:
