68 weeks after the start of lockdown: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England remain strong

Headline news and latest reflections

At the end of another very positive week, the top ten new vacancy postings comprised the following:

22 Sales Executives
20 Financial Services Professionals, all with HSBC at Canary Wharf
14 Civil Engineers
14 Construction Site Supervisors
11 Quantity Surveyors
8 Software Engineers
8 Accounting Technicians
6 Digital Marketing Professionals
6 Quantity Surveying Technicians
5 Investment Operations Specialists

Meanwhile, several towns and cities punched above their weight led by Shipley with 6, Durham and Peterborough with 5 each and Bromsgrove, Chelmsford, Chester, Coventry, Farnborough and Hatfield all with 4. Choosing this week’s image from my photo collection was therefore a tough call. However, with all five Durham vacancies being Civil Engineering DAs with Durham County Council (in partnership with Northumbria University), I’ve selected a pic of Prebends Bridge over the River Wear as a very pleasant example of 18th Century civil engineering.

Speaking of which, two additional Civil Engineering DA vacancies popped up this morning (on a Sunday) with Cormac Solutions in the Cornish town of Wadebridge. The company is responsible for maintaining much of Cornwall’s highways, cycleways and natural environment. I always enjoy these juicy little titbits of LMI.

PS I would add one additional point here in response to an interesting and helpful Twitter conversation I’ve been having with my Careers colleague Lizzie Taylor after publishing this week’s article. For the last few months my weekly posts have taken on an increasingly upbeat tone because the number of new vacancies seems to have recovered surprisingly well following the initial negative impact of the pandemic. That said, my rough estimate would be that at best there’s 1 vacancy for every 50 students who leave 6th form or college at 18 and that’s not taking account of the fact that in some cases they’ll also be competing with slightly older applicants with experience. On the other hand, I’m seeing more 18-year-olds these days who are work-ready and who have that competitive streak about them.

I think the key point is that apprenticeships are not an easy option. If a diligent student makes a well-researched and realistic UCAS application, then there’s a very strong chance that he/she will succeed in gaining a place on a suitable course. I don’t think the same can necessarily be said about apprenticeships, although there’s the added factor that 18-year-olds can also apply for lower level apprenticeships if they wish.

In summary, and as Lizzie suggested, I think it’s important for us as Careers professionals to help students find out what’s out there in a rapidly-changing careers landscape while also presenting a realistic sense of how apprenticeship numbers actually stack up.

Background

Since the first ‘lockdown’ started on Monday 23^rd March 2020, I’ve kept a record of all new higher and degree apprenticeship vacancies posted in England. I largely use data extracted every week from the government’s ‘Find an apprenticeship’ website, whilst also keeping an eye on other national vacancy sources including NHS Jobs.

I only include vacancies that a ‘work-ready’ 18/19-year-old seeking their first permanent role could reasonably apply for, whether at the point of leaving school/college or after a few months of temporary experience. If a year or more’s permanent experience is clearly required, I don’t include the vacancy in my data.

I’ve been compiling similar data since autumn 2018, so each week I compare my post-lockdown figures with the corresponding number of weeks pre-lockdown, whilst also building up occupational and regional analyses.

When recording multiple vacancies posted by some of the larger employers, I occasionally use an element of editorial licence. I usually record precise information on numbers and locations, but in a few cases I’ve made educated, conservative estimates which I adjust retrospectively if more precise data comes to light.

Therefore, the figures I present each week will never be fully reliable nor will they ever fully compare like with like. However, as the picture develops week on week, the broad trends and occupational and regional breakdowns provide some powerful LMI that I personally find immensely useful in my guidance and school/college presentations.

Headline data

During the latest week, from 5^th to 11^th July 2021 I recorded:

91 new Degree & Level 7 Apprenticeship vacancies and
105 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies

The overall comparison pre- and post-lockdown now looks like this:

In the 68 weeks prior to lockdown (3^rd December 2018 to 20^th March 2020) I recorded 5,627 new Degree & Level 7 Apprenticeships and 4,815 new Higher Apprenticeships, giving a total of 10,442 and an average of 154 new vacancies each week.

In the 68 weeks since the start of lockdown (23^rd March 2020 to 11^th July 2021) I’ve recorded 5,803 new Degree & Level 7 Apprenticeships and 5,048 new Higher Apprenticeships, giving a total of 10,851 and an average of 160 new vacancies each week.

For the sixth consecutive week, this represents an increase in vacancies post-lockdown compared with pre-lockdown, now amounting to a 3.9% rise. This is in huge contrast to the dire situation that prevailed during the spring and early-summer of 2020 when there was a reduction of 80%.

Updated regional analysis

The 10,851 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since the start of lockdown have been distributed as follows:

Greater London (2,364)
Yorkshire (1,032)
West Midlands (700)
Greater Manchester (557)
Hampshire (465)
Bristol & Gloucestershire (451)
Berkshire (363)
Hertfordshire (319)
Surrey (284)
Nottinghamshire (241)
Lancashire (232)
Tyne & Wear (231)
Cheshire (223)
Essex (218)
Cambridgeshire (217)
Warwickshire (194)
Merseyside (188)
Sussex (183)
Suffolk (182)
Cumbria (157)
Leicestershire (155)
Devon (146)
Wiltshire (133)
County Durham (132)
Kent (131)
Staffordshire (129)
Northamptonshire (128)
Oxfordshire (128)
Somerset & South Bristol (126)
Dorset (117)
Buckinghamshire (114)
Derbyshire (107)
Worcestershire (100)
Norfolk (93)
Bedfordshire (90)
Lincolnshire (70)
Shropshire (52)
Isle of Wight (31)
Herefordshire (21)
Cornwall (18)
Northumberland (6)
Rutland (1)
Not specified (22)

The following list shows how those stats add up regionally. In brackets I’ve included the total population of each region using the latest ONS data rounded to the nearest 1,000, which gives a sense of proportion to the apprenticeship figures. For example, in population terms the North East is by far the smallest region, so the differences in apprenticeship numbers are not as disproportionate as they might appear. As a way of quantifying this a little further, I’ve added an extra stat in bold which indexes the apprenticeship figures against the total population of each region. In effect, the index equals the number of DAs and HAs post-lockdown per 10,000 of total population.

2,364 London (8,962,000: 2.64)
1,699 South East (9,180,000: 1.85)
1,357 North West (7,341,000: 1.85)
1,196 West Midlands (5,934,000: 2.02)
1,119 East of England (6,236,000: 1.79)
1,032 Yorkshire & Humber (5,503,000: 1.88)
991 South West (5,625,000: 1.76)
702 East Midlands (4,836,000: 1.45)
369 North East (2,670,000: 1.38)
22 Not specified

Updated occupational analysis

Each week I update my occupational analysis by breaking down the new vacancies into what I loosely term ‘occupational areas’, which in some cases differ from the official apprenticeship standards terminology. Since the start of lockdown in March 2020, the complete lists of occupational areas represented in each category are given below. In my view, this provides a fascinating insight into what the emerging occupations are in a changing landscape.

Degree & Level 7 Apprenticeships:

In total there have been 5,803 new vacancies spread across 86 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £6,474 to £30,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

664 Accountancy/Tax/Audit Professionals

652 Digital Technology Solutions (General) *see below for details

495 Police Constables

450 Nurses (414 Adult, 23 Mental Health, 5 Learning Disability, 5 Older People, 3 Children)

365 Software Engineers

297 Chartered Management (General)

256 Civil Engineers

230 Project Management

180 Chartered Quantity Surveyors

165 Data Scientists/Analysts

156 Chartered Building/Property/Valuation Surveyors

127 Product Design & Development Engineers

123 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

114 Food Technology/Production /Manufacturing

104 Supply Chain Leadership

93 Aerospace Engineers

79 Digital Marketing Professionals

79 Financial Services Professionals

76 Cyber Security Professionals

75 Retail Leadership

73 Network Engineers

67 Sales Professionals

59 Manufacturing Engineers

57 Laboratory Scientists

55 Professional Economists

53 Construction Management

44 Building Services Design Engineers

40 Control Engineers

36 Nuclear Engineers

34 Digital User Experience (UX) Professionals

33 Environmental Practitioners

33 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

32 Operating Department Practitioners

31 Solicitors

29 Manufacturing & Production Management (non-food)

25 Automotive Engineers

20 Clinical Trials Specialists

19 Materials Science Technologists

19 Town Planners

17 Packaging Professionals

16 Clinical Physiologists (8 Neuro, 7 Cardiac, 1 Respiratory & Sleep)

14 Creative Digital Designers

14 Environmental Health Officers

13 Human Resources Professionals

12 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

10 Broadcast/Media Systems Engineers

10 Chemical Engineers

10 Internal Audit Professionals

9 Transport Planners

8 Gas Transmission Engineers

8 Occupational Therapists

8 Propulsion Engineers

7 Biomedical Healthcare Scientists

7 Geospatial Mapping/Surveying Professionals

7 Podiatrists

6 Actuarial Professionals

6 Marketing Management

6 Medical Physics/Nuclear Medicine Technologists

6 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

5 Architectural Assistants

5 Clinical/Medical Engineers

5 Operations Analysts

5 Recruitment Professionals

5 Social Workers

4 Diagnostic Radiographers

4 Digital Healthcare Scientists

4 Electro-Mechanical/Mechatronics Engineers

3 Bioinformatics Specialists

3 Compliance & Risk Specialists

3 Public Health Practitioners

2 Agricultural Advisers

2 Assistant Teachers

2 Building Information Modelling Specialists (BIM)

2 Chartered Legal Executives

2 Digital Transformation Engineers

2 Journalists

2 Physiotherapists

2 Tax Technologists

1 Assistant Buyer

1 Audiologist

1 Charity Management

1 Human Performance Engineer

1 Learning Technologies Support Teacher

1 Marine Engineer

1 Midwife

1 Visual Merchandiser

*Digital Technology Solutions (General) has encompassed or led to the following range of specialisms (list updated this week):

Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Tester, Network Engineer, Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Data Architect, Network Architect, Cyber Security Specialist, IT Support Analyst, IT Consultant, Solutions Consultant, Software Implementation Consultant, Software Consultant, Project Manager, Business Intelligence Specialist, Business Systems Engineer/Developer, Automation Developer, Technology Architect, Technology Manager, Innovation Technologist, Innovation Design Analyst, Agile Analyst, Application Support Analyst, Business Analyst, Global Mobility Analyst, Content Analyst, User Experience Researcher, Junior Product Manager, Infrastructure Specialist, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Support Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Scientific Computing Specialist, Platform Manager, Amazon Web Services Specialist, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Specialist, Fixed Telecoms Specialist, IT Service Desk Analyst, Technology Operations & Service Delivery Specialist, Functional Consultant, Technical Consultant, Solution Engineering & Development Specialist, Client Delivery Specialist, Operations Resilience & Change Specialist. Some list!

Higher Apprenticeships:

In total there have been 5,048 new vacancies spread across 95 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £6,474 to £35,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

481 Software Developers

450 Trainee Accountants / Accounting Technicians

440 Sales Executives

405 Data Analysts

405 Project Management Associates

220 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians

162 Construction Site Supervisors

124 Network Engineers

123 Tax Technicians

120 Nursing Associates

119 Policy Officers

106 Investment Operations Specialists

103 Software Testers

100 Commercial Procurement & Supply

98 Civil/Construction Engineering Technicians

95 Public Relations Assistants

93 Cyber Security Technologists

83 Technician Scientists

77 Quantity Surveying Technicians

76 Business Analysts

74 Building Services Engineering Technicians

72 Children/Young People/Family Practitioners

66 Regulatory Compliance Professionals

64 Construction Design & Build Technicians

64 Insurance Professionals

62 Buying & Merchandising Specialists

56 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

50 Marketing Executives

46 Sports Coaches

40 Food Technology/Engineering/Production

40 Junior Management Consultants

39 Retail Management

33 Human Resources Partners

24 Learning, Skills & Development Practitioners/Teachers

22 DevOps Engineers

22 Nuclear Technicians

21 Actuarial Technicians

20 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

17 Automation & Control Engineers

17 Mineral Products Technicians

17 Paraplanners / Financial Advisers

16 Estate Agency Negotiators

16 Media Production Co-ordinators

14 Fibre Cable Engineers

14 Hospitality Management

14 Journalists

14 Quality Practitioners

13 Audiology Associates/Hearing Aid Dispensers

13 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

12 Housing & Property Management

11 Adult Social Care Leaders

11 Healthcare Associate Practitioners

11 Internal Auditors

10 Brewers

10 Dairy Technologists

10 Operations Management

9 Improvement Technicians

8 Hygiene Specialists

8 Naval Architects

7 Logistics/Supply Chain Specialists

5 Architectural Technicians

4 Conveyancing Technicians

4 Digital Communities Management

4 Recruitment Consultants/Resourcers

4 Unified Communications Trouble Shooters

3 Employability Practitioners

3 Railway Engineering Technicians

3 Revenue & Benefits Officers

3 School Business Professionals

2 BEMS Controls Engineers

2 Clinical/Medical Engineers

2 Counter Fraud Investigators

2 Information Managers

2 Medical Physics Technologists

2 MRI Radiography Assistant Practitioners

2 Paralegals

2 Phlebotomists

2 Railway Operations Management

2 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment)

2 Tax Technology Technicians

1 Chemical Process Technician

1 Community Energy Specialist

1 Facilities Management

1 Fitness Club Manager

1 Healthcare Science Associate (Respiratory Physiology)

1 Historic Environment Adviser

1 Intelligence Analyst

1 Lighting Designer

1 Metrology Technician

1 Passenger Transport Management

1 Sports Development Officer

1 Textiles Technician

1 VFX Artist

1 Wedding Accessories Designer

Going forward

I’ve got sufficient data to keep this format going for two more weeks. Thereafter, I’ll probably look at a slightly different approach that will enable me to continue putting some useful LMI out there.