Mayor of London

Insights Team, Skills and Employment December 2025


Apprenticeships are a key part of the skills landscape providing on the job experience needed to support people to move into or progress in work. The Department for Education publishes regular data on apprenticeships across England which gives insight on the learning level, subject, demographics and location of apprentices. This helps to better understand how apprenticeships correspond with skill needs across England.

This update shows full-year final data on apprenticeships in London for the 2024/25 academic year (August 2024 to July 2025). It also reviews trends in apprenticeships starts and achievements over recent years and the profile of apprentices.

From April 2026, the Apprenticeship Levy will be reformed into the Growth and Skills Levy. More detail on the changes are due to be published shortly.


Summary of key points


  • The number of apprenticeship starts in London rose 7% in 2024/25 to 40,400 (from 37,700 in 2023/24). In London, apprenticeship starts per 1,000 working age Londoners are at their highest since before the pandemic.

  • Higher level (Level 4 or above) apprenticeship starts now make up over 50%
    of apprenticeship starts in London (51%). Between 2017/18 and 2024/25, the number of higher level apprenticeships starts nearly quadrupled, while starts at intermediate level fell by over 50%.

  • Between 2023/24 and 2024/25, the number of starts from those aged 25 and over increased from 21,200 to 24,150. Similarly, there has been an increase in the number of starts from those with a learning difficulty and/or disability, increasing from 4,860 in 2023/24 to 5,470 in 2024/25.

  • The profile of people starting apprenticeships in London is ethnically diverse. In 2024/25, over half of apprenticeship starts in London were by people from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background (excluding White Minorities), compared to 18% nationally. In London, there was a notable increase in the share of apprenticeship starts from those from an Asian or Asian British background, increasing from 7,250 in 2023/24 to 8,460 in 2024/25.

  • Apprenticeships in London are concentrated in a few sector subject areas. In 2024/25, for example, six in ten apprenticeship starts were in Business, Administration and Law or Health, Public Services and Care-related subjects.

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Measuring apprenticeships


The Department for Education (DfE) publishes data on apprenticeships by academic year. Its latest apprenticeship data covers the full academic year (August to July) 2024/25, based on data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

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.

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More information

Note, the apprenticeship system has been subject to considerable changes in recent years. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017 and wider reforms to improve the quality of training has shifted apprenticeships towards higher levels at larger organisations. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic also caused a significant decrease in apprenticeship starts.

The DfE also publishes data on apprenticeships by industry characteristics, which matches the 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. London’s results by industry can be found in London apprenticeships industry update 2022/23

The Adult Skills Fund (ASF), formerly Adult Education Budget, provides classroom based vocational training for Adults. From 1 August 2019, the Secretary of State for Education delegated responsibility for the commissioning, delivery and management of London’s ASF to the Mayor. London’s ASF further education statistics are published online on the London datastore. These include for instance, breakdowns by funding model, level of learning and background characteristics, and detailed figures by Sector Subject Area (Tier 1 and Tier 2).

The outcomes of the GLA’s ASF are monitored through the London Learner Survey (LLS). Through the London Learner Survey (LLS), the GLA are measuring how learners’ lives change after they complete their learning, whether that is, for instance, improvements in their health and wellbeing, progression in work or learning or entering new employment.

Results for the 2024/25 London Learner Survey will be published in the summer of 2025. The results from the academic years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 and methodological information can be accessed on the datastore: London Learner Survey

Any enquiries should be emailed to Benji Lahai-Taylor.