Latest reflections on the situation in England

This was another of those curate’s egg kind of weeks. It was a steady week for HAs, with the total of new HA vacancies coming very close to the weekly average and a quarter of them on this occasion being for Nursing Associates. However, DAs were quiet and more than half of those that I did include were older ones I’d previously overlooked.

Hence there’s not a lot of significant news to share this week, but I’ve made a few small enhancements and as ever my occupational data also keeps on evolving. I always enjoy having a quick scan through my latest figures to see how various occupations compare in terms of volume, as there are always a few subtle shifts going on that slightly change the way the landscape looks.

Meanwhile, the regional trends did throw up one or two notable talking points. The North East was quite active and not for the first tie there were a couple of vacancies in the village of Pity Me near Durham. I’m quite familiar with Pity Me following a very eventful short stay I had there when I was involved in a conference in Durham a few years ago and I’m pleased to have found an excuse for making it this week’s featured image.

That said, the South West was yet again the busiest of the eight English regions and this trend is something I frequently find myself having to comment on. What I’ve especially noticed about the South West in recent months is that Bristol is where a lot of the action usually is, but when Bristol’s quiet other parts of the region seem to step up to the plate in its place, especially Devon and Dorset. I’ll be keeping a close eye on regional trends going forward as I think there might be more stories to tell, particularly in a ‘levelling-up’ context.

Latest update on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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

• Scotland: 675 vacancies at SQF Levels 10/11
• Wales: 137 vacancies at Levels 6/7 and 151 at Levels 4/5
• Northern Ireland: 149 vacancies at Levels 4 to 7

While Scotland and Wales were extremely quiet this week, Northern Ireland did see some activity with PwC and BT Group posting new vacancies there. I aim to publish updates for Scotland and Wales later this term and for Northern Ireland if and when I reach a point where I feel my data has some credibility.    

Background

Since 1^st 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 a very close eye on other national vacancy sources. The data I collected at the start of 2020 included existing vacancies that were open to 2020 school and college leavers, which means that my data now covers three complete annual cycles.

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 gaining up to a year’s temporary experience.    

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 very 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. Equally, some apprenticeships at Levels 4 to 7 are targeted more at older applicants or graduates. The bottom line is that work-readiness really matters to enable 18/19-year-olds to compete effectively.

Headline data

In England during the latest period from 18^th to 24^th September 2023 I recorded:

• 61 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 6/7) and
• 109 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 4/5)
• giving a total of 170 for the week

In the 195 weeks from 1^st January 2020 to 24^th September 2023 I’ve now recorded:

• 25,397 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
• 21,889 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
• giving a total of 47,286

The average weekly totals across all 195 weeks have been:

• 130 DAs + 112 HAs = 242 average weekly total 

Updated analysis by county and region

By county (loosely defined) the 47,286 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since January 2020 have been distributed as follows:

• Greater London (11,119)
• Yorkshire (4,238)
• West Midlands (2,975)
• Greater Manchester (2,594)
• Bristol & Gloucestershire (2,133)
• Hampshire (1,603)
• Berkshire (1,504)
• Hertfordshire (1,137)
• Surrey (1,125)
• Cheshire (1,012)
• Tyne & Wear (927)
• Derbyshire (924)
• Nottinghamshire (882)
• Cambridgeshire (850)
• Sussex (850)
• Essex (808)
• Merseyside (764)
• Suffolk (730)
• Devon (730)
• Lancashire (708)
• Somerset & South Bristol (662)
• Buckinghamshire (650)
• Dorset (641)
• Cumbria (638)
• Warwickshire (638)
• Kent (626)
• Staffordshire (580)
• Wiltshire (576)
• Leicestershire (565)
• Oxfordshire (561)
• Bedfordshire (509)
• County Durham (473)
• Northamptonshire (406)
• Cornwall (384)
• Worcestershire (360)
• Norfolk (354)
• Lincolnshire (341)
• Shropshire (306)
• Northumberland (71)
• Isle of Wight (68)
• Herefordshire (55)
• Rutland (14)
• Remote-working with no central base (75)
• Not specified (120) 

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:

• 11,119   London (1,078,600: 10.31)
•   5,126   South West (645,800: 7.94)
•   4,914   West Midlands (720,900: 6.82)
•   6,987   South East (1,040,500: 6.72)
•   5,716   North West (884,600: 6.46)  
•   4,388   East of England (685,300: 6.40)
•   4,249   Yorkshire & The Humber (670,800: 6.33)
•   3,044   East Midlands (593,700: 5.13)
•   1,548   North East (313,000: 4.95)
•        75   Remote-working
•      120   Not specified

• 47,286   Total England (6,633,200: 7.13)

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/Professional Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7):

In total there have been 25,397 new vacancies spread across 107 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £36,775pa, with the average being somewhere in the middle at around £19K. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

4,489 Police Constables 

3,016 Accountancy/Tax/Audit/Assurance Professionals

2,581 Digital Technology Solutions (General) *see below for details

1,464 Chartered Surveyors (825 Quantity Surveyors, 335 Project Managers, 170 Building Surveyors, 62 Building Control Surveyors, 43 Rural Surveyors, 29 Geospatial Surveyors)

1,286 Chartered Business Managers/Consultants

1,125 Software Engineers/Developers

1,057 Civil Engineers

  773 Project Managers

  757 Nurses (588 Adult, 124 Mental Health, 37 Learning Disability, 8 Child) 

  742 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

  520 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

  459 Design & Development Engineers

  408 Nuclear Engineers  

  406 Manufacturing Engineers

  380 Supply Chain Leaders

  351 Food & Drink Technologists/Manufacturers

  333 Banking/Financial Services/Investment Professionals

  330 Building Services Engineers

  317 Cyber/Information Security Professionals

  303 Aerospace Engineers

  294 Digital Marketing Professionals

  283 Professional Economists

  275 Solicitors

  262 Sales Professionals

  254 Laboratory Scientists

  209 Retail Leaders

  201 Healthcare Science Practitioners (42 Biomedical Sciences, 27 Cardiac Physiology, 23 Nuclear Medicine, 22 Radiotherapy Physics, 18 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 16 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) 

  197 Environmental Practitioners

  157 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

  156 Construction Site Managers

  130 Operating Department Practitioners (NHS)

  116 Automation & Control Engineers   

  103 Electro-Mechanical Engineers

    93 Occupational Therapists

    90 Digital User Experience (UX) Designers   

    90 Project Controls Professionals

    86 Materials Science Technologists/Engineers     

    83 Radiographers (51 Diagnostic, 32 Therapeutic)   

    76 Hotel/Hospitality Chartered Managers 

    75 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

    66 Podiatrists

    65 Creative Digital Designers    

    61 Chemical Engineers   

    55 Town Planners

    54 Clinical Trials Specialists

    52 Packaging Professionals 

    45 Broadcast/Communication/Media Systems Engineers

    44 Social Workers 

    40 Manufacturing/Production Managers (non-food)

    39 Architectural Technologists (Design & Construction)

    38 Environmental Health Officers

    38 Transport Planners    

    35 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

    34 Human Resources Professionals  

    32 Recruitment Professionals    

    27 Physiotherapists

    27 Public Health Practitioners

    26 Architectural Assistants

    25 Marketing/Brand Managers

    23 Geotechnical Engineers

    19 Fire Safety Engineers

    18 Insurance Professionals

    18 Journalists

    15 Forestry Professionals

    13 Midwives      

    11 Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners

    10 Dietitians

    10 Chartered Managers (Sports Business)

      9 Chartered 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

      4 Trading Standards Officers  

      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 AI Data Specialist

      1 Charity Manager

      1 Community Centre Manager

      1 Community Safety Officer

      1 Events Manager

      1 Facilities Manager

      1 Games Programmer

      1 Health & Safety Practitioner

      1 Human Performance Engineer 

      1 Marine Engineer

      1 Orthotist

      1 Population Health Intelligence Analyst

      1 Prosthetist

      1 Robotics Engineer

      1 Service Designer

      1 Sonographer 

*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).

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 105 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, Digital Project Delivery Support, 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, Application 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, Infrastructure Engineer, Sales Engineer, Sales Account Manager, Sales Operations Manager, Sales Data Analyst, 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 21,889 new vacancies spread across 148 occupational areas and minimum starting salaries have ranged from £5,002 to a whopping £38,469pa. The average is around £17K, except for Sports Coaches which are usually around £10K or lower. The occupational breakdown is as follows: 

1,892 Sales Executives

1,466 Software Developers 

1,459 Accounting Technicians

1,455 Data Analysts

1,327 Project Management Associates

1,079 Sports Coaches (Children & Young People)   

  689 Nursing Associates (Adult/Elderly/Mental Health)

  639 Construction Site Supervisors

  630 Engineering Manufacturing Technicians 

  570 Quantity Surveying Technicians  

  561 Network Engineers

  559 Business Analysts  

  466 Taxation Technicians

  432 Cyber Security Technologists

  407 Software Testers

  404 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

  400 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

  370 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

  304 Building Services Engineering Technicians

  283 Insurance Practitioners  

  282 Investment Operations Specialists

  281 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

  271 Buying & Merchandising Assistants

  256 Social Care Practitioners (Children/Young People/Families)

  252 Retail Managers

  248 Technician Scientists

  239 Healthcare Assistant Practitioners (150 Reablement, 69 Multidisciplinary, 10 Diagnostic Radiography, 5 Speech Therapy, 3 Continuing Healthcare, 1 Occupational Therapy, 1 Stroke Rehabilitation)

  229 DevOps Engineers

  226 Marketing Executives

  196 Construction Design & Build Technicians

  195 Police Community Support Officers

  192 Policy Practitioners

  186 Early Years Lead Practitioners

  174 Junior Management Consultants

  172 Regulatory Compliance Officers

  171 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

  145 Healthcare Science Associates/Technicians (57 Hearing Aid Audiology, 31 Medical Engineering, 15 Cardiac Physiology, 14 Genetics, 11 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 5 Mammography, 3 Tissue Retrieval, 2 Medical Physics, 2 Phlebotomy, 1 Biochemistry, 1 Biomedicine, 1 Neurophysiology, 1 Nuclear Medicine, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering)

  143 Mineral Products Technicians 

  135 Human Resources Specialists 

  129 Railway Engineering Technicians

  120 Food Technology/Manufacturing Technicians 

  120 Quality Assurance Practitioners

  110 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners 

  108 Hospitality Managers

    95 Nuclear Technicians  

    83 Internal Audit Practitioners

    82 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

    80 Intelligence Analysts

    73 Recruitment Consultants

    71 Actuarial Technicians

    66 Brewers 

    65 Financial Paraplanners   

    63 Automation & Controls Engineering Technicians

    63 Journalists   

    62 Vehicle Damage Assessors     

    57 Revenues & Welfare Benefits Officers    

    54 Operations Managers   

    52 Adult Social Care Lead Practitioners       

    51 Learning & Skills Practitioners/Mentors   

    49 Applications Support Leads

    48 Audiovisual Technicians

    45 Market Research Executives

    43 Dairy Technologists

    41 Business Improvement Practitioners 

    37 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

    32 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

    31 Information Managers    

    30 Air Traffic Controllers

    29 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

    26 BEMS Controls Engineers (Building Energy Management Systems)

    25 Engineer Surveyors

    24 Estate Agency Negotiators

    24 Paralegals

    21 Countryside Rangers

    20 Land Referencers 

    19 Acoustics Technicians

    16 Digital Accessibility Specialists

    15 Fibre Cable Engineers

    15 Smart Energy Engineers

    13 Digital Community Managers

    12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

    11 Facilities Managers

    11 Film/TV Post-Production Technical Operators

    11 Gymnastics Coaches

    11 Hygiene Specialists

    10 Employability Practitioners

    10 Engineering Maintenance Technicians

    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 Data Protection Officers     

      8 School Business Professionals     

      8 Town Planning Technicians 

      7 Computer Games Developers

      7 Dental Technicians

      7 Port Marine Operations Officers

      7 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment) 

      6 Fire Safety Inspectors

      6 Music Teachers

      5 Architectural Technicians

      5 Asset Managers

      5 Broadcasting Technical Operators

      5 Early Intervention Practitioners

      5 Unified Communications Troubleshooters

      5 Visual Merchandisers

      4 Aircraft Certifying Technicians      

      4 Padel Coaches

      4 Space Engineering Technicians

      4 Tax Technology Technicians

      3 Building Information Modelling (BIM) Technicians

      3 Culinary Chefs

      3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

      3 Historic Site Advisers

      3 Junior Animators     

      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 Trampoline Coach & Rebound Therapists

      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 Hotel Reception Manager

      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, 25/9/2023