Apprenticeships in England by industry characteristics
Apprenticeship starts and achievements by employer sector and size. Official statistics including breakdowns by learner and apprenticeship characteristics.
- Published
Headline facts and figures
Percentage of apprentice starts in SMEs in 2023/24
37%
unchanged from 2022/23
Enterprises with an apprenticeship start in 2023/24
76,650
up 1% from 2022/23
- In the 2023/24 academic year, the number of apprenticeships starts (16+) in England increased slightly (by 1%) compared to 2022/23 for employers of all sizes. The largest increase was for medium sized employers (50-249 employees) with an increase of 1,030 starts (2%).
- Apprenticeship starts have increased since 2019/20. Starts with large employers (250+ employees) account for 61% of apprenticeship starts in 2023/24 and are at their highest recorded level.
- In 2023/24 most industry sectors had more apprenticeship starts than in 2022/23, although there were some exceptions.
- For every 1,000 enterprises in England, there were 32 that had at least one apprentice start in 2023/24. This rate remained unchanged from 2022/23.
- The number of unique enterprises with at least one matched apprenticeship start in 2023/24 increased by 1% (580 employers) to 76,650.
About these statistics
Background information
This publication presents statistics on 16+ apprenticeship starts and achievements in England by the industry characteristics of their employer within the 2023/24 academic year, providing further breakdowns of existing apprenticeship data.
It complements the headline Apprenticeships 2023/24 official statistics (published in November 2024), providing detailed information on the size and industry sector of the apprenticeship employers for that year.
Data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and Office for National Statistics Inter-departmental Business Register (IDBR) have been matched for the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic years.
Apprenticeship starts by enterprise size
Apprenticeship starts are a count of apprenticeship programmes that begin in an academic year. Please see the methodology section for more detail on how we count starts and other definitions.
Large employers account for the majority of apprenticeship starts
In 2023/24:
- 61% of apprenticeship starts were with large employers (250+ employees)
- 12% of apprenticeship starts were with medium employers (50-249 employees)
- 25% of apprenticeship starts were with small employers (those with fewer than 50 employees)
- No size data was available for 2% of starts
Apprenticeship starts by employer size were broadly similar to the previous year
The number of apprenticeship starts with small employers increased by 1% (or 890 starts) to 84,770 starts in 2023/24 . Starts with small employers peaked in 2021/22 but remain higher than at the start of the series.
Apprenticeship starts with medium employers increased by 2% (or 1,030 starts) to 42,300 starts in 2023/24. Starts with medium employers have remained broadly stable across the period.
Starts with large employers increased by 1% (or 1,160 starts) to 206,760 starts in 2023/24. Starts with large employers are now at their highest level in the series.
The proportion of apprenticeship starts amongst small and medium enterprises (SMEs, 0-249 employees) remained unchanged from 2022/23 at 37%.
Apprenticeship starts by enterprise sector
In 2023/24, most industry sectors had more apprenticeship starts than the previous year (2022/23) but there were some exceptions.
The industry sectors with the highest number of apprenticeship starts were:
- Human Health and Social Work Activities (24% of starts)
- Wholesale and Retail Trade (10% of starts)
- Education (9% of starts)
The largest proportional increases in apprenticeship starts since 2022/23 were in:
- Production (up 17%)
- Other Service Activities (up 10%)
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (up 8%)
The largest proportional decreases in apprenticeship starts since 2022/23 were in:
- Information and Communication (down 10%)
- Real Estate Activities (down 8%)
- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (down 6%)
- Public Admin and Defence (down 6%)
Apprenticeship starts by enterprise size and sector
The proportion of starts by employer size varied considerably across industry sectors.
For example, in 2023/24, 84% of apprenticeship starts in the ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ sector were with small and medium enterprises (with 0-249 employees), whilst 100% of starts in ‘Public Admin and Defence’ were with large employers (with 250+ employees).
Apprenticeship starts remained broadly stable from the previous year, with small increases overall and mixed patterns across sectors and employer size.
Among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), growth in apprenticeship starts since 2022/23 was generally modest. The largest proportional increases were seen in:
- ‘Other Service Activities’ and ‘Public Admin and Defence’ (both up 13%)
- ‘Financial and Insurance Activities ’ and ‘Transportation and Storage’ (both up 7%)
In contrast, SME starts declined in several sectors, including:
- Information and Communication (down 16%)
- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (down 7%)
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (down 5%)
Among large employers, year-on-year changes were also mixed. The largest increases were in:
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (up 40%)
- Production (up 18%)
Some sectors experienced declines in large employer starts including:
- Wholesale Retail and Trade (down 8%)
- ‘Other Service Activities’ and ‘Real Estate Activities’ (both down 7%)
Apprenticeship starts by enterprise sector and learner demographics
There were clear differences in the distribution of apprenticeship starts across sectors by sex.
Starts by female apprentices in 2023/24 made up the largest proportions in:
- Human Health and Social Work Activities (82%)
- Other Service Activities (82%)
- Education (73%)
Starts by male apprentices in 2023/24 made up the largest proportions in:
- Construction (88%)
- Manufacturing (78%)
- Production (74%)
Most sectors were dominated by learners aged 25 or over, although there were some notable exceptions.
Starts by learners age 25+ in 2023/24 made up the largest proportions in:
- Human Health and Social Work Activities (66%)
- Transportation and Storage (64%)
- Education (63%)
Starts by learners age under 19 in 2023/24 made up the largest proportions in:
- Other Service Activities (59%)
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (57%)
- Construction (51%)
Apprenticeship achievements by enterprise size and sector
Explore data on apprenticeship achievements by industry characteristics
You can create your own tables looking at achievements by using the table builder tool to explore the underlying data files.
The following tables also offer a range of useful breakdowns:
File subject | What is available in the file |
|---|---|
| Apprenticeship achievements by industry sector and size, 2019/20 to 2023/24 | Academic year: 2019/20 to 2023/24 Indicators: Achievements Filters: Size, Sector |
| Apprenticeship achievements by detailed industry sector (2 digit SIC) and size, 2019/20 to 2023/24 | Academic year: 2019/20 to 2023/24 Indicators: Achievements Filters: Size, Sector, 2 digit sector code of enterprise |
Apprenticeship achievements by industry sector, size and apprenticeship type, 2019/20 to 2023/24 | Academic year: 2019/20 to 2023/24 Indicators: Achievements Filters: Size, Sector, Apprenticeship type |
Enterprises with apprenticeship starts by size
The number of unique enterprises with at least one matched apprenticeship remained stable from 2022/23, after peaking in 2021/22.
The number of enterprises with apprenticeship starts in 2023/24 increased by just 1% (580 employers) from 2022/23.
The largest change was in large enterprises which increased by 3%, compared to increases of 2% for medium enterprises and less than 1% for small enterprises.
Whilst the majority of apprenticeship starts occur in large employers, most employers with at least one apprenticeship start are small. This reflects the broader business environment, where most enterprises employ fewer than 50 people.
In 2023/24, 71% of employers with at least one apprenticeship start were small (0-49 employees). Although only 11% of employers were large (250+ employees), 61% of apprenticeship starts were with large employers.
Enterprises with apprenticeship starts by size and sector
The number of enterprises with at least one apprenticeship start remained broadly stable from the previous year, although trends varied by sector and enterprise size.
For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the largest proportional increases compared to 2022/23 were in:
- Production (up by 16%)
- Public Administration and Defence (up by 9%)
- Financial and Insurance Activities (up by 7%)
The largest proportional decreases for SMEs compared to 2022/23 were in:
- Information and Communication (down by 9%)
- Real Estate Activities (down by 7%)
- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (down by 6%)
For large enterprises, increases were more widespread. The largest proportional rises were observed in:
- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (up by 8%)
- Information and Communication (up by 7%)
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (up by 7%)
In some sectors, including ‘Accommodation and Food service Activities’ and ‘Information and Communication’, SME declines were accompanied by growth in large enterprises, suggesting a shift towards larger employers.
Rate of enterprises with apprenticeship starts
For every 1,000 enterprises in England, there were 32 that had at least one apprentice start in 2023/24 . This remains unchanged from 2022/23.
The sectors with the highest rate of enterprises with apprenticeship starts per 1,000 enterprises in 2023/24 were:
- Health (148 per 1,000 enterprises)
- Education (124 per 1,000 enterprises)
- Public Administration and Defence (62 per 1,000 enterprises)
These were the same sectors with the highest rates in 2022/23.
Changes from the previous year (2022/23) at sector level were minimal. The largest changes in the rate of enterprises with apprenticeship starts were in:
- Public Administration and Defence (increased from 58 to 62 per 1,000 enterprises)
- Production (increased from 50 to 52 per 1,000 enterprises)
- Health (decreased from 150 to 148 per 1,000 enterprises)
Rate of apprenticeship starts by enterprise sector
Apprenticeship start rates remained broadly stable but varied across sectors.
The highest rates of apprenticeship starts in 2023/24 occurred in:
- Public Administration and Defence (22 starts per 1,000 employees)
- Health (21 starts per 1,000 employees)
- Construction (18 starts per 1,000 employees)
The lowest rates of apprenticeship starts in 2023/24 occurred in:
- Information and Communication (6 starts per 1,000 employees)
- Business Administration and Support Services (7 starts per 1,000 employees)
The biggest change in apprenticeship start rate from 2022/23 was for ‘Public Administration and Defence’ which fell from 25 to 22 starts per 1,000 employees in 2023/24.
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Email: hannah.keogan@education.gov.ukContact name: Hannah Keogan
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