Workers from disadvantaged backgrounds are being left behind by the apprenticeship system, with numbers slumping by more than a third since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, says the Social Mobility Commission in its report ‘Apprenticeships and social mobility: Fulfilling potential’ published today
The report also reveals that most of the benefits of apprenticeships are going to more privileged learners.
It finds that apprenticeships are one of the most effective means of boosting social mobility for workers from poorer backgrounds – if they can get into and through the system.
Analysis by the report authors, London Economics, shows that the 2017 Apprenticeship Levy reform was followed by a collapse in overall apprenticeship starts which hit disadvantaged learners hardest. In addition, the analysis shows that disadvantage gaps opened up at every stage, from employer candidate selection to training quality and pay rates after completion.
Consultant and lead author Alice Battiston said:
There is a severe disadvantage gap throughout the entire apprenticeship training journey, and this has worsened over time. Not only has the proportion of new starters from disadvantaged backgrounds declined over time, but they have also benefited less than their better-off peers from the shift towards higher-level programmes.
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, there was a 36% decline in disadvantaged apprentice starts in England, compared with a 23% decline for more privileged apprentices. The impact was even greater for older (aged 25+) and female apprentices.
Steven Cooper, interim co-chair of the Social Mobility Commission, commented:
The apprenticeship levy, introduced in 2017, has disproportionately funded higher-level apprenticeships for learners from more advantaged communities, rather than those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who would benefit more.
