Latest reflections on the situation in England

This week I’ve enhanced my regular apprenticeships blog by backdating the cumulative data to 1^st January 2020. Hence, from now on it starts at the beginning of the decade rather than at the time of the first COVID lockdown, which I think provides a more complete picture. It also means we’ve jumped from Week 174 to 187 in one fell swoop!

When I began compiling data for the blog, my rationale was to gain an insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic would impact on the post-18 apprenticeships landscape. I think I achieved that, but I also feel that my starting date of 23/3/20 now has diminishing significance. And as I still have all my records going back to 1/1/20, it made sense to extend my coverage to the whole decade.    

My cumulative data now includes every vacancy I’ve recorded since 1^st January 2020, including those already posted by key employers during the Autumn Term of 2019-20 and targeted at the 2020 school and college leaver cohort (albeit that some of these will at best have started their programmes on a remote basis).       

I’ve also tweaked the way I collate and display Digital Technology Solutions (DTS) DA data. As before, every DTS vacancy with a distinct Software, Data or Cyber Security specialism is listed under those occupational areas, each of which is substantial in terms of volume. All other DTS vacancies are now recorded as Digital Technology Solutions (General). I also maintain a list of all the DTS specialisms I’ve come across since 2020 and this week, coincidentally, the list passed 100 job titles for the first time.  

My regional data has also changed shape slightly as a result of the extended period of time covered and, if anything, I think this has made it more representative rather than less. Meanwhile, my featured image this week is a non-specific photo I took a few summers ago from a cross-channel ferry.

PS There will be another small update next week, with Hotel/Hospitality Managers making an appearance in the DA listings. They collapsed during and after the pandemic, but have since re-emerged and started growing and from next week I’ll be separating them out from Chartered Business Managers/Consultants where they currently reside.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland updates

Having also tracked vacancies in the three other home nations since 1^st June 2022, my latest running totals are as follows:

• Scotland: 649 vacancies at SQF Levels 10/11
• Wales: 110 vacancies at Levels 6/7 and 150 at Levels 4/5
• Northern Ireland: 122 vacancies at Levels 4 to 7

It’s my intention to continue posting quarterly reports for Scotland and Wales, with the next updates due in early-September.    

Background

Since the start of the decade in January 2020 I’ve kept a record of new degree and higher 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 especially Not Going to Uni, Rate My Apprenticeship, Get My First Job and NHS Jobs.

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 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, I think the analyses I’ve built up still 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, thereby ironically leaving some vacancies hard to fill).

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.

Headline data

In England during the latest period from 24^th to 30^th July 2023 I recorded:

• 49 new Degree & L7 Apprenticeship vacancies and
• 91 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies
• giving a total of 140 for the week

In the 187 weeks from 1^st January 2020 to 30^th July 2023 I’ve now recorded:

• 24,954 new Degree Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
• 21,315 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
• giving a total of 46,269

The average weekly totals across all 187 weeks have been:

• 133 DAs + 114 HAs = 247 average weekly total 

Updated analysis by county and region

By county (loosely defined) the 46,269 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since January 2020 have been distributed as follows:

• Greater London (10,945)
• Yorkshire (4,170)
• West Midlands (2,936)
• Greater Manchester (2,553)
• Bristol & Gloucestershire (2,100)
• Hampshire (1,564)
• Berkshire (1,482)
• Surrey (1,106)
• Hertfordshire (1,090)
• Cheshire (981)
• Tyne & Wear (916)
• Derbyshire (906)
• Nottinghamshire (866)
• Sussex (837)
• Cambridgeshire (826)
• Essex (788)
• Merseyside (745)
• Suffolk (711)
• Devon (707)
• Lancashire (682)
• Somerset & South Bristol (655)
• Warwickshire (629)
• Kent (622)
• Cumbria (621)
• Buckinghamshire (614)
• Wiltshire (564)
• Leicestershire (559)
• Dorset (555)
• Staffordshire (551)
• Oxfordshire (546)
• Bedfordshire (500)
• County Durham (465)
• Northamptonshire (399)
• Cornwall (373)
• Worcestershire (350)
• Norfolk (344)
• Lincolnshire (317)
• Shropshire (300)
• Northumberland (69)
• Isle of Wight (68)
• Herefordshire (54)
• Rutland (14)
• Remote-working with no central base (72)
• Not specified (117) 

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 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 latest ONS data 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 January 2020 per 1,000 of that population and the regions are then ‘ranked’ accordingly:

• 10,945   London (1,078,600: 10.15)
•   4,954   South West (645,800: 7.67)
•   4,826   West Midlands (720,900: 6.69)
•   6,839   South East (1,040,500: 6.57)
•   5,580   North West (884,600: 6.31)  
•   4,173   Yorkshire & The Humber (670,800: 6.22)
•   4,259   East of England (685,300: 6.21)
•   2,980   East Midlands (593,700: 5.02)
•   1,522   North East (313,000: 4.86)
•        72   Remote-working
•      119   Not specified

• 46,269   Total England (6,633,200: 6.98)

Whilst my data is always going to have flaws in it, I think the above comparisons give a fair reflection of the regional differences that exist. The South West’s prominence is perhaps surprising, with Bristol being a particularly busy hub.         

Updated occupational analysis

Every week I update my occupational analysis, breaking the vacancies down into what I loosely define as ‘occupational areas’. In some cases these differ from the official apprenticeship standards terminology. For each occupational area the total number of vacancies since January 2020 is given below for both degree and higher apprenticeships.

Degree Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7):

In total there have been 24,954 new vacancies spread across 122 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £35,233pa, with the average being somewhere in the middle (around £19K). The occupational breakdown is as follows:

4,461 Police Constables 

2,935 Accountancy/Tax/Audit/Assurance Professionals

2,552 Digital Technology Solutions (General) *see below for details

1,313 Chartered Business Managers/Consultants

1,111 Software Engineers/Developers

1,051 Civil Engineers

  824 Chartered Quantity Surveyors 

  772 Project Managers

  734 Nurses (567 Adult, 123 Mental Health, 36 Learning Disability, 8 Child) 

  728 Data Scientists/Analysts

  519 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

  500 Chartered Building/Property/Valuation Surveyors  

  457 Design & Development Engineers

  408 Nuclear Engineers  

  402 Manufacturing Engineers

  379 Supply Chain Leaders

  329 Building Services Engineers

  326 Food & Drink Technologists/Manufacturers

  316 Cyber/Information Security Professionals

  303 Aerospace Engineers

  287 Digital Marketing Professionals

  283 Professional Economists

  282 Banking/Financial Services/Investment Professionals

  272 Solicitors

  258 Sales Professionals

  248 Laboratory Scientists

  197 Environmental Practitioners

  195 Healthcare Science Practitioners (41 Biomedical Sciences, 25 Cardiac Physiology, 22 Nuclear Medicine, 21 Radiotherapy Physics, 18 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 15 Radiation Engineering, 13 Audiology, 13 Medical Engineering, 12 Neurophysiology, 5 Digital Healthcare Science, 5 Medical Physics, 3 Clinical Informatics, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering, 1 Renal Technology) 

  185 Retail Leaders

  157 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

  151 Construction Managers

  125 Operating Department Practitioners (NHS)

  116 Automation & Control Engineers   

  102 Electro-Mechanical/Mechatronics Engineers

    90 Project Controls Professionals

    86 Digital User Experience (UX) Designers   

    85 Occupational Therapists

    84 Materials Science Technologists/Engineers     

    75 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

    75 Radiographers (45 Diagnostic, 30 Therapeutic)    

    64 Creative Digital Designers

    62 Building Control Surveyors

    62 Podiatrists

    61 Chemical Engineers     

    55 Town Planners

    54 Clinical Trials Specialists

    51 Packaging Professionals 

    45 Broadcast/Communication/Media Systems Engineers

    44 Social Workers 

    43 Land Agents (Chartered Rural Surveyors)

    40 Manufacturing/Production Managers (non-food)

    39 Architectural Technologists (Design & Construction)

    37 Transport Planners    

    35 Environmental Health Officers

    35 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

    34 Human Resources Professionals  

    32 Recruitment Professionals

    28 Geospatial Mapping/Surveying/GIS Professionals

    27 Public Health Practitioners

    26 Architectural Assistants

    26 Physiotherapists

    24 Marketing/Brand Managers

    23 Geotechnical Engineers

    19 Fire Safety Engineers

    18 Insurance Professionals

    18 Journalists

    15 Forestry Professionals

    11 Midwives      

    11 Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners

    10 Dietitians

    10 Sports Business Managers

      9 Business Managers (Social Change)

      9 Propulsion Engineers

      8 Agricultural/Horticultural Advisers

      8 Gas Transmission Engineers

      7 Land Buyers

      7 Speech & Language Therapists

      6 Actuarial Professionals     

      6 Chartered Legal Executives   

      6 Sport Development Officers

      5 Fitness/Leisure Centre Managers

      5 Operations Analysts

      4 Assistant Buyers

      4 Assistant Teachers / Learning Coaches

      4 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Specialists

      3 Assistant Archivists

      3 Digital Transformation Engineers

      3 Education Technology Specialists

      3 TV Production Managers

      2 Licensed Conveyancers

      2 Lighting Designers

      2 Pensions Professionals

      2 Tax Technologists

      2 Youth Workers

      1 Charity Manager

      1 Community Centre Manager

      1 Events Manager

      1 Facilities Manager

      1 Games Programmer

      1 Health & Safety Practitioner

      1 Human Performance Engineer 

      1 Marine Engineer

      1 Population Health Intelligence Analyst

      1 Prosthetist & Orthotist

      1 Sonographer 

      1 Trading Standards Officer  

*DAs in Digital Technology Solutions open up a wide range of roles. Some vacancies specify the role, while others are flexible and open-ended. The three most frequently specified roles have been Software Engineer/Developer, Data Analyst and Cyber Security Specialist and I’ve recorded these as three separate occupations in my DA listings above (Data Analysts being merged in with Data Scientists for the purposes of my reports). Meanwhile, those DAs listed as Digital Technology Solutions (General) are either flexible/open-ended or they lead to other specific roles. The following is a list of all the DTS roles I’ve recorded since 2020 and it now encompasses 101 different job titles:

Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Tester, Cyber Security Specialist, Data Analyst, IT Consultant, Network Engineer, Data Scientist, Global Data Analyst, Data Product Specialist, Data Architect, Network Architect, Enterprise Architect, Digital Solutions Architect, Technology Architect, Solutions Consultant, Software Consultant, Software Implementation Consultant, Technical Consultant, Functional Consultant, Business Consultant, Dynamics Consultant, Security Consultant, Application Management Consultant, Project Manager, Project Co-ordinator, Application Developer, Business Intelligence (BI) Developer, Business Systems Developer, Automation Developer, Automation Test Developer, Full Stack Developer, Digital Developer, Prototype Developer, Technology Manager, Legal Technologist, Innovation Technologist, Innovation Design Analyst, Agile Analyst, Applications Support Analyst, Technical Support Analyst, Operations Support Analyst, Support Desk Analyst, IT Support Analyst, IT Service Desk 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, Digital Social Media Executive, Junior Product Manager, Infrastructure Specialist, FinTech Specialist, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Digital Solutions Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Engineer, Business Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer, IT Support Engineer, Technical Support Engineer, Service Desk Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Sales Engineer, Sales Account Manager, Sales Operations Manager, AI Technical Sales Adviser, Scientific Computing Specialist, Platform Manager, Service Manager, Engineering Information Manager, Information Management Technology Specialist, Control Systems Specialist, Amazon Web Services Specialist, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Specialist, Fixed Telecoms Specialist, IT/Computing Technician, Second Line Support Technician, WordPress Developer, Public Health Intelligence Officer, Technology Operations & Service Delivery Specialist, Associate Digital Delivery Manager, Digital Manufacturing Engineer, Electronic Systems Design & Development Engineer, Solution Engineering & Development Specialist, Client Delivery Specialist, Client Success Specialist, Client Consultant, Microsoft Dynamics & Power Applications Consultant, Microsoft 365 Product Specialist, IT Governance & Applications Support Specialist, Operations Resilience & Change Specialist, Innovation Foundry Specialist, and Continuous Improvement & Automation Specialist.

Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5):

In total there have been 21,315 new vacancies spread across 162 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,002 to a whopping £38,469pa (the average being around £17K, except for Sports Coaches which are usually around £10K or lower). The occupational breakdown is as follows: 

1,844 Sales Executives

1,440 Software Developers 

1,423 Data Analysts

1,404 Accounting Technicians

1,303 Project Management Associates

1,058 Sports Coaches (Children & Young People)   

  628 Construction Site Supervisors

  618 Engineering Manufacturing Technicians 

  617 Nursing Associates (Adult/Elderly/Mental Health)

  561 Quantity Surveying Technicians  

  548 Network Engineers

  534 Business Analysts  

  464 Taxation Technicians

  418 Cyber Security Technologists

  400 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

  399 Software Testers

  390 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

  365 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

  297 Building Services Engineering Technicians

  282 Insurance Practitioners  

  281 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

  275 Investment Operations Specialists

  269 Buying & Merchandising Assistants

  253 Children/Youth/Family Practitioners

  252 Retail Managers

  244 Technician Scientists

  238 Healthcare Assistant Practitioners (150 Reablement, 69 Multidisciplinary, 10 Diagnostic Radiography, 5 Speech Therapy, 2 Continuing Healthcare, 1 Occupational Therapy, 1 Stroke Rehabilitation)

  222 DevOps Engineers

  220 Marketing Executives

  195 Police Community Support Officers

  191 Construction Design & Build Technicians

  190 Policy Practitioners

  181 Early Years Lead Practitioners

  173 Junior Management Consultants

  167 Regulatory Compliance Officers

  159 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

  143 Mineral Products Technicians 

  139 Healthcare Science Associates/Technicians (55 Hearing Aid Audiology, 31 Medical Engineering, 14 Genetics, 13 Cardiac Physiology, 10 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 5 Mammography, 3 Tissue Retrieval, 2 Medical Physics, 2 Phlebotomy, 1 Biochemistry, 1 Biomedicine, 1 Neurophysiology, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering)

  133 Human Resources Specialists 

  129 Railway Engineering Technicians

  111 Quality Assurance Practitioners

  109 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners 

  109 Food Technology/Manufacturing Technicians 

  102 Hospitality Managers

    95 Nuclear Technicians  

    81 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

    80 Intelligence Analysts

    76 Internal Audit Practitioners

    72 Recruitment Consultants

    71 Actuarial Technicians

    65 Financial Paraplanners   

    64 Brewers 

    63 Journalists

    61 Automation & Controls Engineering Technicians

    58 Vehicle Damage Assessors     

    53 Operations Managers   

    52 Adult Social Care Lead Practitioners       

    51 Revenue & Welfare Benefits Officers    

    50 Learning & Skills Practitioners/Mentors   

    43 Applications Support Leads

    43 Dairy Technologists

    40 Business Improvement Practitioners 

    40 Market Research Executives

    39 Audiovisual Technicians

    37 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

    32 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

    31 Information Managers    

    29 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

    26 BEMS Controls Engineers (Building Energy Management Systems)

    25 Engineer Surveyors

    24 Paralegals

    23 Estate Agency Negotiators

    20 Air Traffic Controllers

    20 Countryside Rangers

    20 Land Referencers 

    19 Acoustics Technicians

    15 Digital Accessibility Specialists

    15 Fibre Cable Engineers

    15 Smart Energy Engineers

    12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

    12 Digital Community Managers

    11 Film/TV Post-Production Technical Operators

    11 Hygiene Specialists

    10 Employability Practitioners

    10 Engineering Maintenance Technicians

    10 Facilities Managers

    10 Football Coaches

      9 Counter Fraud Investigators    

      9 Naval Architects / Marine Engineering Technicians

      9 Railway/Passenger Transport Operations Managers

      8 Antisocial Behaviour & Community Safety Officers

      8 School Business Professionals     

      7 Computer Games Developers

      7 Data Protection Practitioners     

      7 Dental Technicians

      7 Port Marine Operations Officers

      7 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment) 

      7 Town Planning Technicians 

      6 Fire Safety Inspectors

      5 Architectural Technicians

      5 Asset Managers

      5 Broadcasting Technical Operators

      5 Unified Communications Troubleshooters

      5 Visual Merchandisers

      4 Aircraft Certifying Technicians

      4 Gymnastics/Trampoline Coaches & Rebound Therapists

      4 Padel Coaches

      4 Space Engineering Technicians

      4 Tax Technology Technicians

      3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Technicians

      3 Culinary Chefs

      3 Early Intervention Practitioners

      3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

      3 Historic Site Advisers

      3 Music Teachers

      3 Payroll Associates

      3 Pensions Administrators

      3 Sports Development Officers   

      3 Utilities Technicians

      3 Visual Effects Artists

      2 Arboriculturists      

      2 Auctioneers

      2 Chaplains

      2 Cricket Coaches

      2 Energy Specialists

      2 Music Recording Technicians

      2 Travel Executives

      2 Water Recycling Engineers

      1 Chemical Process Technician

      1 Clinical Coder

      1 Cultural Heritage Conservation Technician

      1 Customs & Foreign Exchange Expert

      1 Digital Learning Designer

      1 Fitness Club Manager

      1 Fitness Instructor

      1 Health Informatics Specialist

      1 Horticultural / Landscape Design Practitioner

      1 Junior Animator

      1 Lighting Designer

      1 Metrology Technician

      1 Outdoor Learning Specialist

      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 weekly or fortnightly updates, usually on Sunday nights or Monday mornings.   

© Alan Bullock Careers, 31/7/2023

http://www.alanbullockcareers.com