Week 150: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship overview – 35,000 vacancies reached

Latest reflections in England

As National Apprenticeship Week (#NAW2023) gets under way, not only was the past week a very busy one for new vacancies but I also carried out one of my occasional ‘audits’ in which I adjusted my data to take account of numbers that had previously been either underestimated or duplicated. The result was that my total numbers soared past the 35,000 mark and were further enhanced today with 113 new vacancies being posted on a Sunday, 75 of them with Amazon. This is unusual and it rather ruined my weekend, but at least it has made my data all the more intriguing.

With all the additional Sunday activity, I’m not going to try and summarise everything that happened in a hectic Week 150. However, after enhancing and updating all of my cumulative occupational and regional data below, I think it’s worth a scan through to see how the landscape is now looking. Regular readers may spot some subtle changes in an ever-evolving story.

As for this week’s featured image, I’ve picked out a winter photo I took from a London rooftop ten years ago. The City was particularly prominent in my Week 150 data, although there was a healthy increase across many other parts of England too.

Other home nations – Scotland and Wales reports also coming out this week

Having started collating data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on 1^st June last year, I will also be publishing new reports on Scotland and Wales this week reflecting on eight months’ activity in both countries. The Scotland report will be my second edition and will cover 435 Graduate Apprenticeships (or equivalent). The Wales report will be my first one and will cover 138 DAs and HAs. It’s a bit sketchy, but I think it’s worth putting something out there to start the ball rolling and to see if anyone finds it helpful. My Northern Ireland data is too unreliable to report on at this stage, but I’m actively working on it.

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 daily from the government’s ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website, whilst also keeping tabs on other national vacancy sources including NHS Jobs, Not Going to Uni, Rate My Apprenticeship, UCAS, Investment 20/20 and Amazing Apprenticeships.

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 112 is the most frequently quoted minimum entry requirement for DAs (sometimes more and quite often less), it’s otherwise much more about the skills, qualities and insights an applicant can bring.

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 there’s something of a mismatch between supply and demand in terms of volume (there aren’t enough to go around), location (my regional breakdown raises questions about ‘levelling up’) and the range of occupations available (which probably doesn’t align too well with student aspirations).

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 Level 3 apprenticeships too. It’s also true that a significant proportion of opportunities at Levels 4 to 7 will be snapped up by older applicants or even graduates and therefore work-readiness really matters to enable 18/19-year-olds to compete successfully.

Since 1^st June 2022 I’ve also been collecting data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with a view to producing occasional reports on my blog going forward. My first Scotland report was published on 2^nd December.

Headline data

In England during the latest period from 30^th January to 5^th February 2023 (and including the adjusted data referred to above) I recorded:

529 new Degree & L7 Apprenticeship vacancies and
233 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies

In the 150 weeks since the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown (23^rd March 2020 to 5^th February 2023) I’ve now recorded:

18,712 new Degree Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
16,557 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
giving a total of 35,269

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 first 70 weeks after lockdown: 84 DAs + 75 HAs = 159 total
Weekly average in the 150 weeks since lockdown: 125 DAs + 110 HAs = 235 total

This shows that both DAs and HAs have more than fully recovered since the initial reductions in the early days of the pandemic, although it’s fair to say that I’m being much more thorough in the way I track down and monitor new vacancies than I was in pre-COVID days. And with the threat of recession now apparently upon us, I’ll be keeping my eye very firmly on the ball in the coming weeks to see if there’s any sign of another slowdown.

Updated analysis by county and region

By county (loosely defined), the 35,269 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since the start of lockdown have been distributed as follows:

Greater London (8,842)
Yorkshire (3,054)
West Midlands (2,223)
Greater Manchester (1,904)
Bristol & Gloucestershire (1,522)
Hampshire (1,227)
Berkshire (1,111)
Hertfordshire (857)
Surrey (818)
Derbyshire (712)
Cheshire (698)
Nottinghamshire (697)
Tyne & Wear (692)
Sussex (654)
Merseyside (641)
Cambridgeshire (598)
Essex (587)
Lancashire (541)
Warwickshire (509)
Devon (495)
Suffolk (490)
Kent (458)
Somerset & South Bristol (453)
Wiltshire (439)
Cumbria (427)
Staffordshire (419)
Dorset (417)
Buckinghamshire (414)
Leicestershire (388)
County Durham (376)
Bedfordshire (370)
Oxfordshire (363)
Northamptonshire (311)
Norfolk (295)
Cornwall (279)
Worcestershire (262)
Lincolnshire (222)
Shropshire (221)
Isle of Wight (53)
Northumberland (47)
Herefordshire (38)
Rutland (13)
Home working with no central base (37)
Not specified (95)

Regional data: The table below shows how those stats add up regionally in the context of the local 15 to 24-year-old population. The population figures have been extracted from the very latest ONS census data published in June 2022 and my analysis provides the following information:

First number in bold = the latest cumulative number of vacancies for each region
Big number in brackets = the resident population of 15 to 24-year-olds in the region using the new ONS data and rounded to the nearest 100
Third figure in bold indexes my apprenticeship figures against the 15 to 24-year-old population. The ‘index’ shows the combined number of DAs and HAs since March 2020 per 1,000 of that population and the regions are then ‘ranked’ accordingly:

8,842 London (1,078,600: 8.20)
3,624 South West (645,800: 5.61)
3,671 West Midlands (720,900: 5.09)
5,064 South East (1,040,500: 4.87)
4,208 North West (884,600: 4.76)
3,212 East of England (685,300: 4.69)
3,070 Yorkshire & Humber (670,800: 4.58)
2,286 East Midlands (593,700: 3.85)
1,160 North East (313,000: 3.71)
132 Not specified / Home working

35,269 Total England (6,633,200: 5.32)

Whilst my data is always going to have flaws in it, the above comparisons nonetheless seem to raise continuing questions about ‘levelling up’. There are hints of a lack of balance between north and south and especially a distinct London-centric element. It’s this very concern that first prompted me to start collating regional as well as occupational data. The South West being so well-placed is perhaps surprising and Bristol takes much of the credit for that. There are also prominent hubs around Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Updated occupational analysis

Each week I update my occupational analysis by breaking down the new vacancies into what I loosely define as ‘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 18,712 new vacancies spread across 105 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £32,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

3,205 Police Constables

2,199 Accountancy/Tax/Audit Professionals

1,669 Digital Technology Solutions (general) *see below for details

989 Chartered Business Managers

927 Software Engineers/Developers

737 Civil Engineers

635 Chartered Quantity Surveyors

590 Nurses (479 Adult, 86 Mental Health, 20 Learning Disability, 5 Child)

576 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

551 Project Managers

409 Chartered Building/Property/Land Surveyors

408 Design & Development Engineers

382 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

361 Nuclear Engineers

327 Supply Chain Leaders

272 Cyber Security Professionals

267 Food & Drink Technologists/Manufacturers

255 Manufacturing Engineers

250 Banking & Financial Services Professionals

234 Digital Marketing Professionals

227 Solicitors

202 Sales Professionals

198 Building Services Engineers

196 Professional Economists

179 Aerospace Engineers

172 Laboratory Scientists

153 Retail Leaders

139 Environmental Practitioners

135 Construction Managers

128 Network Engineers

107 Healthcare Science Practitioners (15 Cardiac Physiology, 13 Biomedical Science, 12 Medical & Clinical Engineering, 11 Nuclear Medicine Technology, 10 Neurophysiology, 10 Respiratory Physiology & Sleep Science, 9 Audiology, 8 Radiation & Radiotherapy Engineering, 7 Radiation & Radiotherapy Physics, 5 Digital Healthcare Science, 3 Bioinformatics, 2 Medical Physics Technology, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering, 1 Renal Specialist)

92 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

91 Hospital Operating Department Practitioners

82 Control Engineers

81 Digital User Experience (UX) Design Professionals

75 Project Controls Professionals

72 Electro-Mechanical/Mechatronics Engineers

71 Radiographers (42 Diagnostic, 29 Therapeutic)

65 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

55 Materials Science Technologists/Engineers

55 Occupational Therapists

42 Town Planners

41 Broadcast/Media Systems Engineers

41 Creative Digital Design Professionals

40 Manufacturing & Production Managers (non-food)

39 Building Control Surveyors

39 Podiatrists

37 Clinical Trials Specialists

35 Chemical Engineers

33 Human Resources Professionals

32 Business Analysts

32 Design & Construction Professionals

31 Transport Planners

30 Recruitment Professionals

29 Packaging Professionals

29 Social Workers

26 Chartered Rural Surveyors

24 Environmental Health Officers

21 Marketing Managers

21 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

19 Architectural Assistants

18 GIS / Geospatial Mapping & Surveying Professionals

18 Public Health Practitioners

17 Journalists

16 Geotechnical Engineers

15 Forestry Professionals

15 Physiotherapists

14 Fire Safety Engineers

12 Insurance Professionals

10 Midwives

9 Business Managers (Social Change)

8 Agricultural/Horticultural Advisers

8 Dietitians

8 Gas Transmission Engineers

8 Propulsion Engineers

7 Land Buyers

6 Actuarial Professionals

6 Sport Development Officers

5 Chartered Legal Executives

5 Operations Analysts

4 Assistant Teachers / Learning Coaches

4 Compliance & Risk Specialists

4 Speech & Language Therapists

3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Specialists

3 Digital Transformation Engineers

3 Education Technology Specialists

3 Fitness/Leisure Centre Managers

3 TV Production Managers

2 Career Development Specialists

2 Licensed Conveyancers

2 Pensions Professionals

2 Tax Technologists

1 Brewer

1 Charity Manager

1 Community Centre Manager

1 Events Manager

1 Facilities Manager

1 Games Programmer

1 Human Performance Engineer

1 Lighting Designer

1 Marine Engineer

1 Population Health Intelligence Analyst

1 Prosthetist & Orthotist

1 Sonographer

1 Youth Worker

*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 Product Specialist, Data Architect, Network Architect, Enterprise Architect, Digital Solutions Architect, Technology Architect, Cyber Security Specialist, IT Consultant, Solutions Consultant, Software Implementation Consultant, Software Consultant, Technical Consultant, Functional Consultant, Project Manager, Project Co-ordinator, Business Intelligence (BI) Developer, Business Systems Engineer/Developer, Automation Developer, Automation Test Developer, Full Stack Developer, Digital Developer, Prototype Developer, Technology Manager, Innovation Technologist, Innovation Design Analyst, Agile Analyst, Applications Support Analyst, Technical Support Analyst, Business Analyst, Business Technology Analyst, Network Strategy Analyst, Global Mobility Analyst, Content Analyst, Security Operations Analyst, Process Mining Analyst, SAP Analyst, User Experience Researcher, Junior Product Manager, Infrastructure Specialist, FinTech Specialist, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Digital Solutions Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer, IT Support Engineer, Service Desk Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Sales Engineer, Sales Account Manager, Sales Operations Manager, Scientific Computing Specialist, Platform Manager, Service Manager, Engineering Information Manager, Information Management Technology Specialist, Amazon Web Services Specialist, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Specialist, Fixed Telecoms Specialist, Operations Support Analyst, Support Desk Analyst, IT Support Analyst, IT Service Desk Analyst, IT/Computing Technician, Second Line Support Technician, WordPress Developer, Public Health Intelligence Officer, Technology Operations & Service Delivery Specialist, Digital Manufacturing Engineer, Electronic Systems Design & Development Engineer, Solution Engineering & Development Specialist, Client Delivery Specialist, Client Success Specialist, Client Consultant, Operations Resilience & Change Specialist, Microsoft 365 Product Specialist, Innovation Foundry Specialist, Continuous Improvement & Automation Specialist and Railway Signalling Control Systems Specialist.

That’s some list (currently 87) and it just keeps on growing.

Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5):

In total there have been 16,557 new vacancies spread across 143 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,002 to £35,000pa. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

1,558 Sales Executives

1,188 Software Developers

1,178 Data Analysts

1,126 Project Management Associates

1,082 Accounting Technicians

838 School/Community Sports Coaches

506 Construction Site Supervisors

463 Nursing Associates

451 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians

439 Business Analysts

382 Network Engineers

358 Taxation Technicians

344 Quantity Surveying Technicians

317 Software Testers

316 Cyber Security Technologists

301 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

277 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

268 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

249 Retail Managers

246 Buying & Merchandising Assistants

222 Healthcare Associate Practitioners (150 Reablement, 59 Multidisciplinary, 5 Mammography, 5 Speech Therapy, 2 Phlebotomy, 1 Occupational Therapy)

216 Children/Youth/Family Practitioners

213 Building Services Engineering Technicians

197 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

186 Technician Scientists

184 Marketing Executives

179 Insurance Practitioners

172 Policy Officers (Central/Local Government)

169 Investment Operations Specialists

160 DevOps Engineers

144 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

143 Early Years Lead Practitioners

141 Junior Management Consultants

137 Regulatory Compliance Officers

116 Construction Design & Build Technicians

103 Mineral Products Technicians

98 Human Resources Specialists

94 Quality Practitioners

93 Healthcare Science Associates (29 Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers, 20 Cardio/Respiratory/Sleep Physiology, 20 Medical Engineering Technicians, 9 Radiography, 6 Genetics Technology, 3 Tissue Retrieval, 2 Medical Physics, 1 Biochemistry, 1 Biomedicine, 1 Neurophysiology, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering)

84 Nuclear Technicians

80 Hospitality Managers

77 Food Technology/Engineering/Production Technicians

76 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners

72 Recruitment Consultants

61 Financial Advisers/Paraplanners

58 Actuarial Technicians

57 Internal Audit Practitioners

55 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

52 Adult Social Care Lead Practitioners

49 Intelligence Analysts

47 Journalists

47 Vehicle Damage Assessors

44 Brewers

41 Operations Managers

41 Revenue & Welfare Benefits Officers

37 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

36 Automation & Controls Engineers

36 Railway Engineering Technicians

33 Business Improvement Practitioners

33 Learning/Skills & Development Practitioners

31 Dairy Technologists

29 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

28 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

25 Information Managers

24 Engineer Surveyors

24 Police Community Support Officers

23 Estate Agency Negotiators

23 Market Research Executives

18 Audiovisual Technicians

17 Countryside Rangers

16 Paralegals

15 Fibre Cable Engineers

15 Smart Energy Engineers

13 Land Referencers

12 BEMS Controls Engineers (Building Energy Management Systems)

12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

12 Digital Community Managers

11 Film/TV Post-Production Technical Operators

11 Hygiene Specialists

10 Acoustics Technicians

10 Air Traffic Controllers

10 Applications Support Leads

10 Employability Practitioners

10 Football Coaches

9 Naval Architects / Marine Engineering Technicians

9 Railway/Passenger Transport Operations Managers

7 Computer Games Developers

7 Counter Fraud Investigators

6 Digital Accessibility Specialists

6 Facilities Managers

6 Fire Safety Inspectors

6 School Business Professionals

6 Town Planning Technicians

5 Antisocial Behaviour & Community Safety Officers

5 Architectural Technicians

5 Broadcasting Technical Operators

5 Dental Technicians

5 Nuclear Welding Inspection Technicians

5 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment)

5 Visual Merchandisers

4 Aircraft Certifying Technicians

4 Gymnastics/Trampoline Coaches & Rebound Therapists

4 Space Engineering Technicians

4 Unified Communications Trouble Shooters

3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

3 Historic Site Advisers

3 Music Teachers

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 Music Recording Technicians

2 Padel Coaches

2 Tax Technology Technicians

2 Travel Executives

2 VFX Artists

2 Water Recycling Engineers

1 Chaplain

1 Chemical Process Technician

1 Clinical Coder

1 Community Energy Specialist

1 Cultural Heritage Conservation Technician

1 Customs & Foreign Exchange Expert

1 Data Protection Practitioner

1 Fitness Club Manager

1 Fitness Instructor

1 Health Informatics Specialist

1 Horticultural / Landscape Design Practitioner

1 Junior Energy Manager

1 Lighting Designer

1 Metrology Technician

1 Outdoor Learning Specialist

1 Payroll Assistant Manager

1 Process Leader

1 Proposals Co-ordinator

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 or Monday mornings. And look out for my Scotland and Wales reports this week if you’re interested.

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