Week 120: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship overview – hybrid and home-working are here to stay

Latest reflections

As is the norm for July this was a steady rather than prolific week, but it gives me an opportunity to report on two broader developments.

The first is that I’ve been noticing a gradual rise in vacancies that mention hybrid or home working. In a lot of these cases the employer is still located in a specific place and there’s an expectation for the apprentice to visit that location, whether it be two or three days per week or two or three days per year. In these cases I still count the vacancy as being based in that location for statistical purposes. However, I’ve also noted a total of 24 apprenticeships so far where in effect there is no head office and you could literally live anywhere.

In this context there was a notable example this week of a new User Experience (UX) DA vacancy with a web consultancy business based in Manchester (hence this week’s featured image from my photo collection). In the job spec it says:

“This is a fully remote role, working in a fully remote delivery team. However, travelling to Manchester will be required for meet ups and social events.”

I’m sure that we’ll see a growth in opportunities of this kind and I’ll be keeping a lookout for them.

The other development is that some elements of the new national census have just been published and I’ve changed and updated my regional data in response, as you can see below.

Meanwhile my new data on Scotland is also coming on especially well, with 75 new vacancies now recorded and some interesting patterns already emerging. I aim to write occasional reports for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in due course.

Finally I was intrigued to see an HA this week for a Trampoline Coach and Rebound Therapist, which is the first time I’ve come across the latter.

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 4^th to 10^th July 2022 I recorded:

53 new Degree Apprenticeship vacancies and
112 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies

In the 120 weeks since the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown (23^rd March 2020 to 10^th July 2022) I’ve now recorded:

13,680 new Degree Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
12,745 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
giving a total of 26,425

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 120 weeks since lockdown: 114 DAs + 106 HAs = 220 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 possible economic turbulence ahead, I intend to keep my eye on the ball to see if things change.

Updated analysis by county and region

By county, the 26,425 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since the start of lockdown have been distributed as follows:

Greater London (7,258)
Yorkshire (2,292)
West Midlands (1,594)
Greater Manchester (1,312)
Bristol & Gloucestershire (986)
Hampshire (905)
Berkshire (775)
Hertfordshire (662)
Surrey (586)
Nottinghamshire (531)
Tyne & Wear (504)
Cheshire (495)
Derbyshire (486)
Sussex (482)
Cambridgeshire (446)
Essex (445)
Lancashire (441)
Warwickshire (435)
Suffolk (416)
Merseyside (366)
Somerset & South Bristol (366)
Devon (340)
Staffordshire (338)
County Durham (327)
Wiltshire (321)
Leicestershire (303)
Bedfordshire (295)
Kent (294)
Oxfordshire (286)
Dorset (275)
Buckinghamshire (273)
Norfolk (266)
Cumbria (260)
Northamptonshire (258)
Lincolnshire (181)
Worcestershire (179)
Shropshire (124)
Cornwall (100)
Isle of Wight (43)
Northumberland (36)
Herefordshire (31)
Rutland (7)
Home working (24)
Not specified (81)

NEW DATA!! The following list shows how those stats add up regionally. In brackets I’ve included the total adult population of each region, now using the very latest ONS data which was published a couple of weeks ago (late-June 2022) and rounded to the nearest 100. This gives a better sense of proportion to my regional apprenticeship figures. For example, in population terms the North East is the smallest region, so comparatively speaking their apprenticeship numbers are not quite as low as they might appear.

My data is also slightly different from official figures because I count the South Humberside area (which is in Lincolnshire) as being part of the East Midlands and correspondingly I count Yorkshire as a region rather than the official region of ‘Yorkshire & Humber’. My revised regional population totals have been adjusted to take account of this.

To place my regional comparisons into sharper perspective, I’ve also added an extra stat in bold which now indexes the apprenticeship figures against the total adult population of each region. In effect, the index equals the number of DAs and HAs post-lockdown per 10,000 of the adult population. Clearly London still outperforms the rest of England by quite a wide margin, but I think it’s interesting to view the bigger picture too, especially after my new census adjustments. When time permits, I hope to crunch some more numbers to drill my regional population data down even further to just the 18-24 age group. The latest updated and revised data is as follows:

7,258 London (6,050,800: 12.00)
3,625 South East (5,630,800: 6.44)
2,870 North West (4,572,900: 6.28)
2,701 West Midlands (3,678,300: 7.34)
2,530 East of England (3,799,900: 6.66)
2,407 South West (3,394,600: 7.09)
2,292 Yorkshire (3,224,900: 7.11)
1,766 East Midlands (3,215,800: 5.50)
871 North East (1,665,700: 5.23)
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 13,680 new vacancies spread across 101 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £32,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

2,870 Police Constables

1,227 Digital Technology Solutions (general) *see below for details

1,068 Accountancy/Tax/Audit Professionals

698 Software Engineers/Developers

681 Chartered Managers (general)

582 Nurses (472 Adult, 86 Mental Health, 19 Learning Disability, 5 Child)

531 Civil Engineers

442 Chartered Quantity Surveyors

413 Project Managers

407 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

324 Chartered Building/Property/Land Surveyors

274 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

268 Design & Development Engineers

259 Supply Chain Leaders

217 Food Technology/Production/Manufacturing Professionals

198 Digital Marketing Professionals

196 Cyber Security Professionals

169 Manufacturing Engineers

160 Nuclear Engineers/Scientists

149 Financial Services Professionals

140 Sales Professionals

131 Building Services Design Engineers

124 Professional Economists

123 Laboratory Scientists

119 Retail Leaders

117 Solicitors

113 Aerospace Engineers

108 Environmental Practitioners

100 Construction Managers

95 Network Engineers

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

75 Hospital Operating Department Practitioners

74 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

71 Digital User Experience (UX) Design Professionals

62 Control Engineers

60 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

46 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)

37 Town Planners

36 Occupational Therapists

35 Clinical Trials Specialists

33 Creative Digital Design Professionals

32 Broadcast/Media Systems Engineers

30 Recruitment Professionals

29 Podiatrists

27 Social Workers

24 Business Analysts

24 Packaging Professionals

22 Chemical Engineers

22 Transport Planners

20 Human Resources / People Professionals

19 Chartered Rural Surveyors

19 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

18 Environmental Health Officers

17 Architectural Technologists

17 Journalists

16 Building Control Surveyors

15 Architectural Assistants

15 Professional Foresters

15 Project Control Professionals

14 Geotechnical Engineers

14 Junior Traders (Global Financial Markets)

14 Public Health Practitioners

13 GIS / Geospatial Mapping & Surveying Professionals

13 Marketing Managers

11 Physiotherapists

9 Business Managers (Social Change)

8 Agricultural/Horticultural Advisers

8 Gas Transmission Engineers

8 Propulsion Engineers

6 Actuarial Professionals

6 Sport Development Officers

5 Fire Safety Engineers

5 Operations Analysts

4 Assistant Teachers / Learning Coaches

4 Chartered Legal Executives

4 Compliance & Risk Specialists

3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Specialists

3 Buying & Procurement Professionals

3 Digital Transformation Engineers

3 Fitness/Leisure Centre Managers

3 Speech & Language Therapists

3 TV Production Managers

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 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, Service Desk 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, Support Desk Analyst, IT Support Analyst, IT Service Desk Analyst, IT Technician, Computing Technician, 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 keeps growing.

Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5):

In total there have been 12,745 new vacancies spread across 128 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £35,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

1,215 Sales Executives

1,044 Software Developers

951 Data Analysts

895 Project Management Associates

880 Trainee Accountants / Accounting Technicians

425 School/Community Sports Coaches

364 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians

361 Construction Site Supervisors

358 Nursing Associates

339 Business Analysts

308 Network Engineers

308 Taxation Technicians

268 Software Testers

243 Quantity Surveying Technicians

233 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

231 Retail Assistant Managers

217 Cyber Security Technologists

210 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

207 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

190 Building Services Engineering Technicians

188 Children/Youth/Family Practitioners

184 Buying & Merchandising Specialists

175 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

169 Government Policy Officers

169 Technician Scientists

150 Insurance Professionals

136 Investment Operations Specialists

131 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

129 Marketing Executives

114 DevOps Engineers

103 Regulatory Compliance Officers

87 Early Years Lead Practitioners

81 Construction Design & Build Technicians

78 Junior Management Consultants

77 Food Technology/Engineering/Production Technicians

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)

73 Human Resources Consultants/Partners

73 Mineral Products Technicians

69 Quality Practitioners

66 Recruitment Resourcers/Consultants

59 Financial Advisers/Paraplanners

47 Healthcare Associate Practitioners (general)

45 Adult Social Care Lead Practitioners

44 Hospitality Managers

44 Vehicle Damage Assessors

41 Internal Audit Practitioners

39 Actuarial Technicians

39 Brewers

37 Intelligence Analysts

35 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

35 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners

34 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

32 Automation & Control Engineers

31 Business Improvement Practitioners

31 Dairy Technologists

30 Learning/Skills & Development Practitioners

28 Journalists

26 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

25 Railway Engineering Technicians

22 Operations Managers

22 Revenue & Welfare Benefits Officers

21 Estate Agency Negotiators

21 Housing/Property/Lettings 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

12 Paralegals

11 Hygiene Specialists

10 Digital Community Managers

10 Information Managers

9 Naval Architects / Marine Engineering Technicians

9 Railway/Passenger Transport Operations Managers

8 Acoustics Technicians

8 Emergency Medical Technicians

8 Post-Production Technical Operators (Film/TV)

7 Computer Games Developers

7 Employability Practitioners

6 Counter Fraud Investigators

6 Facilities Managers

6 Fire Safety Inspectors

6 Football Coaches

6 School Business Professionals

5 Architectural Technicians

5 Market Research Executives

5 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment)

4 Aircraft Certifying Technicians

4 Gymnastics/Trampoline Coaches / Rebound Therapists

4 Unified Communications Trouble Shooters

3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

3 Pensions Administrators

3 Port Marine Operations Officers

3 Senior Culinary Chefs

3 Space Engineering Technicians

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 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 Cultural Heritage Conservation Technician

1 Customs & Foreign Exchange Expert

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 and Higher 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 intend to redress this in the near future.