Week 116: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England – analysis of 25,000 jobs in a changing landscape

Latest reflections

One of the factors that sustains my interest in publishing these weekly reports is that the landscape never stops evolving. It’s been fascinating and sometimes surprising to discover what the most prolific occupations and regions are, and at the same time it’s intriguing to observe ‘new’ occupations emerging and to see occasional unexpected surges in jobs or locations that might otherwise fly under the radar.

This week was no exception with 339 new vacancies recorded. There was a big surge in Digital Technology Solutions DAs, especially in the emerging field of FinTech, while Civil Engineering and Chartered Management DAs were also prominent. In the HA stats Project Management Associates, Software Developers and School Sports Coaches led the way, with the emergence of Sports Coaches (mostly in the primary school sector) continuing to be a revelation, albeit almost always on a low starting salary.

Meanwhile, Greater London still appears to be a magnet compared to other regions, contributing 31% of this week’s vacancies and 28% across the 116-week period as a whole. In the context of the levelling-up debate, it’s a topic that I might re-visit and reflect on further in the weeks ahead. That said, there’s usually at least one occupation and location that punches well above its weight and this week it was Hospital Operating Department Practitioners and the county of Warwickshire, prompting me to dust off another of my Warwickshire photos as this week’s featured image. I took the photo at Hatton Locks on the way back from giving a school talk and the tower of St Mary’s Church in Warwick is just discernible in the distance. I mention this because the town of Warwick is quite a busy little hub in itself and frequently appears in my listings. The recent mini-surge in Planning and Rural Surveying continued this week too and notably the four new Town Planning vacancies were all with private sector firms.

With more than 25,000 vacancies in England now recorded in my data, I think it casts an increasingly useful light on what’s out there. And as I mentioned last time, I’ve started to keep an eye on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland too with a view to creating some additional data in the near future covering all four countries.

Background

Since the first ‘lockdown’ started on Monday 23^rd March 2020, I’ve kept a record of new higher and degree apprenticeship vacancies posted in England and in doing so have built up an evolving occupational and regional analysis. 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, especially NHS Jobs, Not Going to Uni, Rate My Apprenticeship and Investment 20/20.

I collated similar data for a period of 70 weeks prior to the March 2020 lockdown and my weekly headline data compares the pre-lockdown and post-lockdown figures, using the two 70-week periods either side of lockdown as a benchmark.

My target audience is Level 3 school and college leavers and those who influence and advise them. Therefore, I only include vacancies at Levels 4 to 7 that ‘work-ready’ 18/19-year-olds 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 more than a year’s permanent experience is clearly required, I don’t normally include the vacancy in my figures.

I would emphasise the term ‘work-ready’ because academic qualifications alone will never be enough to compete successfully for a higher or degree apprenticeship. Whilst a UCAS points score of around 112 is often needed for DAs (sometimes more, sometimes less), it’s otherwise much more about the skills, qualities and insights you can bring. STEM subjects will also put potential applicants at a significant advantage in terms of opening up a wider range of options.

My data will never be fully reliable because not all vacancies are advertised nationally in a way that also gives an indication of actual numbers and locations. However, the analyses that I’ve built up paint an intriguing picture of what’s out there in a changing post-18 career landscape. The figures also suggest that supply is never likely to match demand and that there may be something of a mismatch between the occupations to which young people often aspire and the reality of what’s available.

One further and slightly confusing factor to take into account is that it’s quite normal for some 18/19-year-old school/college leavers to apply for lower level apprenticeships too, especially at Level 3. In fact I sometimes see Level 3 apprenticeships that ask for A Level or equivalent qualifications and Level 4 to 7 apprenticeships that don’t. It’s also true that a significant proportion of opportunities will be snapped up by older applicants. It’s a competitive market place, so work-readiness really matters.

Headline data

During the latest period from 6^th to 12^th June 2022 I recorded:

184 new Degree Apprenticeship vacancies and
155 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies

In the 116 weeks since the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown (23^rd March 2020 to 12^th June 2022) I’ve now recorded:

13,271 new Degree Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
12,185 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
giving a total of 25,456

Using the 70 weeks either side of the initial lockdown (on 23/3/20) as a benchmark, my latest comparative figures are as follows:

Weekly average in the 70 weeks before lockdown: 82 DAs + 71 HAs = 153 total
Weekly average in the 70 weeks after lockdown: 84 DAs + 75 HAs = 159 total
Weekly average in the 116 weeks since lockdown: 114 DAs + 105 HAs = 219 total

This shows that both DAs and HAs have more than fully recovered since the initial reductions in the early days of the pandemic. Whilst it’s fair to say that I’m being more thorough in the way I track down and monitor new vacancies than I was in pre-COVID days, I’m definitely seeing an upward trend in volume compared with how things looked two to three years ago. That said, with talk of economic turbulence ahead, I intend to keep my eye on the ball to see if things change.

Updated regional analysis

The 25,456 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since the start of lockdown have been distributed as follows:

Greater London (7,102)
Yorkshire (2,245)
West Midlands (1,533)
Greater Manchester (1,257)
Bristol & Gloucestershire (956)
Hampshire (857)
Berkshire (746)
Hertfordshire (649)
Surrey (577)
Nottinghamshire (507)
Tyne & Wear (493)
Sussex (470)
Cheshire (459)
Essex (431)
Lancashire (428)
Cambridgeshire (424)
Warwickshire (420)
Suffolk (411)
Merseyside (361)
Derbyshire (357)
Devon (333)
Staffordshire (324)
County Durham (323)
Somerset & South Bristol (315)
Wiltshire (314)
Leicestershire (296)
Kent (286)
Bedfordshire (281)
Buckinghamshire (267)
Oxfordshire (262)
Norfolk (261)
Cumbria (254)
Northamptonshire (250)
Dorset (243)
Worcestershire (174)
Lincolnshire (167)
Shropshire (109)
Cornwall (96)
Isle of Wight (42)
Northumberland (35)
Herefordshire (31)
Rutland (5)
Home working (24)
Not specified (81)

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 quite as disproportionate as they might appear. (In my data Yorkshire includes North Humberside and East Midlands includes South Humberside.)

To place this into sharper perspective, 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. Clearly London outperforms the rest of England by quite a wide margin, but it’s interesting to see that the West Midlands is the ‘best-performing’ region outside the capital when viewed in the context of its population, followed by Yorkshire, the South West and the East. In recent weeks the East Midlands and North East have been gradually catching up too.

7,102 London (8,962,000: 7.92)
3,507 South East (9,180,000: 3.82)
2,755 North West (7,341,000: 3.75)
2,591 West Midlands (5,934,000: 4.37)
2,457 East of England (6,236,000: 3.94)
2,257 South West (5,625,000: 4.01)
2,245 Yorkshire (5,503,000: 4.08)
1,582 East Midlands (4,836,000: 3.27)
855 North East (2,670,000: 3.20)
105 Not specified / home working

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 Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7):

In total there have been 13,271 new vacancies spread across 102 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £32,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

2,870 Police Constables

1,214 Digital Technology Solutions (general) *see below for details

1,038 Accountancy/Tax/Audit Professionals

684 Software Engineers/Developers

628 Chartered Managers (general)

558 Nurses (461 Adult, 76 Mental Health, 16 Learning Disability, 5 Child)

510 Civil Engineers

428 Chartered Quantity Surveyors

413 Project Managers

402 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

322 Chartered Building/Property/Land Surveyors

269 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

268 Design & Development Engineers

253 Supply Chain Leaders

212 Food Technology/Production/Manufacturing Professionals

189 Cyber Security Professionals

189 Digital Marketing Professionals

169 Manufacturing Engineers

148 Financial Services Professionals

138 Sales Professionals

124 Professional Economists

121 Building Services Design Engineers

119 Laboratory Scientists

119 Retail Leaders

114 Solicitors

113 Aerospace Engineers

105 Environmental Practitioners

100 Construction Managers

95 Network Engineers

80 Healthcare Science Practitioners (11 Biomedical Science, 10 Cardiovascular Physiology, 10 Medical & Clinical Engineering, 10 Neurophysiology, 8 Nuclear Medicine, 7 Radiation & Radiotherapy Engineering, 6 Respiratory Physiology & Sleep Science, 6 Radiation Physics, 5 Digital Healthcare Science, 3 Bioinformatics, 1 Audiology, 1 Medical Physics, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering, 1 Renal Specialist)

73 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

72 Hospital Operating Department Practitioners

70 Digital User Experience (UX) Design Professionals

67 Nuclear Engineers

61 Control Engineers

60 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

41 Electro-Mechanical/Mechatronics Engineers

40 Hospitality Managers

40 Internal Audit Professionals

40 Radiographers (28 Diagnostic, 12 Therapeutic)

39 Materials Scientists/Technologists/Engineers

38 Manufacturing & Production Managers (non-food)

33 Town Planners

32 Broadcast/Media Systems Engineers

32 Creative Digital Design Professionals

28 Occupational Therapists

28 Podiatrists

27 Clinical Trials Specialists

27 Social Workers

24 Business Analysts

23 Packaging Professionals

22 Chemical Engineers

21 Transport Planners

20 Recruitment Professionals

19 Human Resources / People Professionals

19 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

18 Chartered Rural Surveyors

17 Architectural Technologists

17 Environmental Health Officers

17 Journalists

15 Professional Foresters

14 Building Control Surveyors

14 Junior Traders (Global Financial Markets)

13 Architectural Assistants

13 Marketing Managers

13 Public Health Practitioners

11 Physiotherapists

10 Geospatial Mapping/Surveying Professionals

9 Project Control Professionals

8 Agricultural/Horticultural Advisers

8 Gas Transmission Engineers

8 Propulsion Engineers

6 Actuarial Professionals

6 Chartered Managers (Social Change)

5 Operations Analysts

5 Sport Development Officers

4 Assistant Teachers / Learning Coaches

4 Chartered Legal Executives

4 Compliance & Risk Specialists

4 Fire Safety Engineers

4 Geotechnical/Geospatial Engineers

3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Specialists

3 Digital Transformation Engineers

3 Fitness/Leisure Centre Managers

3 GIS Analysts

3 TV Production Managers

2 Buying & Procurement Professionals

2 Education Technology Specialists

2 Midwives

2 Pensions Professionals

2 Tax Technologists

1 Brewer

1 Charity Manager

1 Community Centre Manager

1 Events Manager

1 Facilities Manager

1 Human Performance Engineer

1 Marine Engineer

1 Population Health Intelligence Analyst

1 Prosthetist & Orthotist

1 Speech Therapist

1 Visual Merchandiser

*Digital Technology Solutions (general) has encompassed or led to the following range of specialisms:

Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Tester, Network Engineer, Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Global Data Analyst, Data Architect, Network Architect, Enterprise Architect, Cyber Security Specialist, IT Consultant, Solutions Consultant, Software Implementation Consultant, Software Consultant, Project Manager, Project Co-ordinator, Business Intelligence Specialist, Business Systems Engineer/Developer, Automation Developer, Automation Test Developer, Full Stack Developer, Digital Developer, Solutions Architect, Technology Architect, Technology Manager, Innovation Technologist, Innovation Design Analyst, Agile Analyst, Application Support Analyst, Technical Support Analyst, Business Analyst, Global Mobility Analyst, Content Analyst, Security Operations Analyst, Process Mining Analyst, User Experience Researcher, Junior Product Manager, Infrastructure Specialist, FinTech Specialist, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Digital Solutions Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer, Support Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Sales Engineer, Sales Account Manager, Sales Operations Manager, Scientific Computing Specialist, Platform Manager, Service Manager, Engineering Information Manager, Amazon Web Services Specialist, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Specialist, Fixed Telecoms Specialist, IT Support Analyst, IT Service Desk Analyst, Support Desk Analyst, WordPress Developer, Technology Operations & Service Delivery Specialist, Functional Consultant, Technical Consultant, Digital Manufacturing Engineer, Electronic Systems Design & Development Engineer, Solution Engineering & Development Specialist, Client Delivery Specialist, Client Success Specialist, Client Consultant, Operations Resilience & Change Specialist, Innovation Foundry Specialist, Continuous Improvement & Automation Specialist and Railway Signalling Control Systems Specialist.

That’s some list and it grew even longer this week.

Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5):

In total there have been 12,185 new vacancies spread across 126 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £35,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

1,164 Sales Executives

999 Software Developers

918 Data Analysts

878 Project Management Associates

860 Trainee Accountants / Accounting Technicians

387 School/Community Sports Coaches

345 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians

331 Construction Site Supervisors

321 Business Analysts

310 Nursing Associates

288 Taxation Technicians

280 Network Engineers

256 Software Testers

233 Quantity Surveying Technicians

229 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

229 Retail Assistant Managers

208 Cyber Security Technologists

204 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

201 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

188 Children/Youth/Family Practitioners

183 Buying & Merchandising Specialists

180 Building Services Engineering Technicians

174 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

168 Government Policy Officers

165 Technician Scientists

148 Insurance Professionals

133 Investment Operations Specialists

131 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

122 Marketing Executives

108 DevOps Engineers

98 Regulatory Compliance Officers

83 Early Years Lead Practitioners

77 Junior Management Consultants

77 Nuclear Technicians

73 Healthcare Science Associates (18 Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers, 14 Cardiorespiratory & Sleep Physiology, 13 Bio/Medical Engineering, 8 MRI Radiography, 6 Genetics Technology, 4 Mammography, 4 Speech Therapy, 2 Medical Physics, 2 Phlebotomy, 1 Biochemistry, 1 Tissue Retrieval)

71 Construction Design & Build Technicians

71 Human Resources Consultants/Partners

70 Mineral Products Technicians

69 Food Technology/Engineering/Production Technicians

63 Quality Practitioners

60 Recruitment Resourcers/Consultants

57 Financial Paraplanners

47 Healthcare Associate Practitioners (general)

44 Adult Social Care Lead Practitioners

44 Hospitality Managers

37 Brewers

35 Actuarial Technicians

35 Intelligence Analysts

35 Vehicle Damage Assessors

34 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

34 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

31 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners

31 Dairy Technologists

30 Learning/Skills & Development Practitioners

28 Business Improvement Practitioners

28 Journalists

27 Internal Audit Practitioners

26 Automation & Control Engineers

26 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

25 Railway Engineering Technicians

22 Revenue & Welfare Benefits Officers

21 Estate Agency Negotiators

21 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

20 Operations Managers

15 Smart Energy Engineers

14 Countryside Rangers

14 Fibre Cable Engineers

14 Police Community Support Officers

12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

12 Land Referencers

12 Logistics Specialists

10 Digital Community Managers

10 Hygiene Specialists

9 Naval Architects / Marine Engineering Technicians

9 Railway/Passenger Transport Operations Managers

8 Emergency Medical Technicians

8 Information Managers

8 Paralegals

8 Post-Production Technical Operators (Film/TV)

7 Acoustics Technicians

7 Computer Games Developers

7 Employability Practitioners

6 Facilities Managers

6 Fire Safety Inspectors

6 Football Coaches

6 School Business Professionals

5 Architectural Technicians

5 Counter Fraud Investigators

5 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment)

4 Conveyancing Technicians

4 Market Research Executives

4 Unified Communications Trouble Shooters

3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

3 Gymnastics/Trampoline Coaches

3 Pensions Administrators

3 Port Marine Operations Officers

3 Senior Culinary Chefs

3 Sports Development Officers

3 Utilities Technicians

2 Arboriculturists

2 Auctioneers

2 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Technicians

2 Early Intervention Practitioners

2 Historic Site Advisers

2 Music Recording Technicians

2 Space Engineering Technicians

2 Tax Technology Technicians

2 Town Planning Assistants

2 VFX Artists

2 Water Recycling Engineers

1 Chaplain

1 Chemical Process Technician

1 Clinical Coder

1 Community Energy Specialist

1 Community Safety Officer (Antisocial Behaviour)

1 Dental Technician

1 Digital Accessibility Specialist

1 Fitness Club Manager

1 Fitness Instructor

1 Horticultural / Landscape Design Practitioner

1 Lighting Designer

1 Metrology Technician

1 Payroll Assistant Manager

1 Tennis Coach

1 Wedding Accessories Designer

1 Wedding Venue Co-ordinator

Going forward

All being well I will continue posting frequent updates, usually on Sunday nights.

As from 1^st June I have also started to track Degree Apprenticeships in Wales and Northern Ireland and their equivalent in Scotland (Graduate Apprenticeships). I’ve always been very conscious that my blog only covers England and I hope to redress this if I can successfully build up enough useful data.