Ruth Moxon Senior Economist, Skills and Employment Unit June 2025

Apprenticeships are a key tool for skills training, providing on the job experiences for those entering the labour market or changing career paths. The Department for Education (DfE) publishes regular data on apprenticeships across England which gives insight on the learning level, subject, demographics and location of apprentices. Additionally, DfE also produce apprenticeship data linked to industry and business information, the focus on this release. This helps to better understand how apprenticeships correspond with skill needs across England.

This update shows the latest data on apprenticeship starts and achievements by the industry of employment for academic year 2022/23 (August 2022 to July 2023).

The data source for industry characteristics that the DfE utilises has a considerable time-lag. Therefore, for the most recent data on Apprenticeships in London see: London Apprenticeship Update 2023/24. The subject apprentices study will give some indication of the industry apprentices are working in London.

Measuring apprenticeships

The DfE publishes data on apprenticeships by industry characteristics, which matches the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) to the ONS Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset. This dataset provides more detailed information on the size and industry sector of the apprenticeship employers. The LEO dataset has a time-lag meaning the latest available data is for academic year 2022/23.

This update focuses on the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in London. These are defined as follows by the DfE:

Starts: The number of apprenticeship programmes that begin in a given academic year. An apprentice is counted for each apprenticeship they start.

Achievements: The number of learners who successfully complete an apprenticeship programme in a given academic year (based on end-point assessment).

More information on the data used and a glossary of terms can be found on the DfE Website.

Subjects studied by sector

The data is also available by programme aim title in London. Learning aims are a single enrolment at a provider as represented on the Individualised Learner Record. The programme aim describes the overall apprenticeship programme, in other words it is the main subject studied on the apprenticeship. The data shows the top ten starts in the sector, or those with at least 20 starts.

  • Team Leader or Supervisor is in the top ten starts for all sectors.

  • Across different sectors data analysis apprenticeships come up as a top aim (Education, Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail, Real Estate Activities, Transport & Storage, Information & Communication, Financial & Insurance Activities, Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities, Admin & Support Services, Public Admin & Defence, Arts, Entertainment & Recreation and Other Service Activities)

  • Strikingly, Professional, Scientific and Technical apprenticeships are predominantly in Accountancy and Taxation apprenticeships (accounting for almost half of starts, 43%).

  • There is a limited number of creative based apprenticeships in Arts, Entertainment & Recreation, with the majority being either operational or sports-based.

  • Apprenticeships are a key way into early years. Data from Lightcast suggests that there will be around 2,000 additional early years and childcare workers needed each year until 2028. However, there were only 1,840 apprenticeship starts in early years educators or practitioners suggesting current apprenticeship levels are not sufficient to meet London’s demand.

  • Similarly, for many occupations in construction, apprenticeships are a key pathway into the profession. In 2022/23 there were 60 scaffolding apprenticeship starts and 80 in carpentry and joinery. These start numbers are low compared to the predicted annual need (from Lightcast) of 360 carpenters and joiners needed in London each year and 140 scaffolders.

Starts

Source: Department for Education - Apprenticeships by industry characteristic.
Note: Estimates are based on where students live.

Achievements

Source: Department for Education - Apprenticeships by industry characteristic.
Note: Estimates are based on where students live.

Conclusion

Overall, the data shows how apprenticeships in London can be key contributors to providing skills for growth and enabling sectors in London, such as health and social care. It also reveals how this is not necessarily just through sector specific occupations, but through apprenticeships such as team leading or data analysis. Additionally, it shows where apprenticeships numbers are too low to match expected job creation in some occupations, such as early year practitioners and carpenters, joiners and scaffolders.

More information

For information on apprenticeships in London see Apprenticeship Statistics for London

Apprenticeships work alongside other vocational training in London funded through the Adult Skills Fund. For data and analysis on the Adult Skills Fund see GLA Adult Skills Fund

For further information on how skills can support priority sectors in London, see Labour Market Analysis of London’s Priority Sectors

  1. ONS, Inter Department Business Register↩︎