Latest reflections on the situation in England 

Reaching Week 200, and reflecting on how the post-18 landscape has evolved, took my mind back to the early 1990s when I’d just taken on the role of resident careers adviser at a sixth form college in the south of England. We didn’t have the internet, university tuition was free, students received maintenance grants not loans, and apprenticeships were only available in a limited range of craft and technical occupations. Most of our students went to uni, about ten per cent of them after a gap year, and only a handful took up employment or training. Uni was generally assumed to be the next step and the only jobs targeted towards A-level students in our area were mainly in Accountancy or Retail Management.

Fast forward to today and the choices are much broader, especially since the initial rollout of degree apprenticeships in 2015. However, navigating this new landscape of opportunities can be quite challenging. For example, in order to collect the data for my weekly blog I currently use at least seven different sources and yet I still find gaps. I’m lucky because I’ve got more time at my disposal than a busy student or hard-pressed careers leader would have, but a recent conversation with one of my subscibers reinforced my perception that it must be quite a challenge for careers leaders to keep abreast of what’s out there, and for Year 13 students to cope with multiple apprenticeship applications and selection processes alongside their studies and other responsibilities.

I’ve also noticed a slightly worrying trend this term. Since the start of September, I’ve been differentiating all the new vacancies I record between those with an immediate start and those that are recruiting for August/September 2024. The annual (2024) vacancies appear to be holding up reasonably well, although one or two of the bigger names have been conspicuous by their absence and I’m waiting to see if and when they come on-stream. (Update – by coincidence, they launched the day after this post was posted, so all is well!) However, immediate vacancies seem to be more sluggish than at this time last year. It’s too soon to make conclusive assumptions, and I hope I’m proven wrong, but I sense that economic conditions might be slowing things down.

Added to this are the issues that I frequently allude to, namely that even in the best of times there are not enough degree apprenticeships to meet the potential demand, plus there are very distinct regional variations, plus there’s a probable mismatch between students’ aspirations and the actual occupations available. Also, only about 25% of overall apprenticeship vacancies are taken up by under-19s (which partly explains why my cumulative data falls well short of any official data based on apprenticeship starts) whilst a proportion of those Level 3 students who do take up apprenticeships will start on Level 3 programmes rather than progressing directly to Level 4 or above. There are socio-economic factors at play too, with recent research suggesting that only 5% of degree apprentices come from a low-income background.

With the above points in mind, it’s quite interesting to reflect on the experiences of a client I’ve been working with in Manchester who’s applying for degree apprenticeships during a gap year and finding that: a) she has more time for the application process than she would have done in Year 13 and b) living in Manchester means she has significantly more options on her doorstep than she would have in most other parts of the country.

Otherwise, Week 200 was steady. One of the highlights was Vodafone posting around 30 DA and HA vacancies for 2024, mainly in London and Newbury plus a handful in Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Gloucester, Birmingham and Manchester. Construction firm Wates and its subsidiary SES Engineering also continued to post a range of HAs at a variety of locations and this week I caught up with the BBC’s new Level 6 vacancies as well as the 2024 offer from global IT and business consultants CGI. In Staffordshire JC Bamford Excavators (JCB) have also opened their annual recruitment at their HQ near Uttoxeter. However, so far the precise number of BBC, CGI and JCB vacancies is unclear and as usual I’ve erred on the side of caution until any more info becomes available. Similarly Deutsche Bank popped up in London and BP continued posting a small range of vacancies, mostly in Sunbury-on-Thames and in their case with precise numbers specified.

More Solicitor DA vacancies have also emerged and so far this year I’ve noticed more law firms offering degree apprenticeships than ever before; but again precise numbers are often not available and when they are you can usually count them on one hand. They seem to be predominantly London-based too, with a few scattered around the bigger provincial cities. There was also another varied batch of health-related vacancies, including my third ever Orthotist / Prosthetist DA in Plymouth and three 2024 Environmental Health Officer DAs in Wembley.

Next week I’m expecting to hear more about Dyson Institute’s 2024 programme, while BAE Systems are due to launch their annual recruitment on Wednesday and they’re always one of the most prolific providers in the country. Hence, Week 201 should be a busier one for vacancy numbers.  (Update on 2/11/23: BAE Systems have indeed now opened their 2024 recruitment, as have Unilever and Thales amongst others, so Week 201 is looking good. Meanwhile, Dyson will now be launching in January.) 

To add to all the change that’s going on, I was inspired this weekend by Chris Webb’s latest ‘Week in Careers’ update. Chris’s brilliant roundups are a weekly must-read and Episode 55 prompted me to bite the bullet and make my first acquaintance with Artificial Intelligence. As a start I’ve used AI to generate this week’s featured image and the illustration above.  

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: 810 vacancies at SQF Levels 10/11
• Wales: 210 vacancies at Levels 6/7 and 157 at Levels 4/5
• Northern Ireland: 180 vacancies at Levels 4 to 7

There’s been some significant activity in all three devolved nations this month. JP Morgan, M&S, Barclays, BBC, CGI and SSE have all been active in Scotland, with SSE’s vacancies reaching as far as Orkney and Shetland. M&S, BBC, CGI, Airbus, Wates and JCB are recruiting in Wales, with BAE likely to join them next week, and both M&S and BBC have one or two vacancies in Northern Ireland.

I’m aiming to publish an 18-month Scotland update at the end of November, and hopefully a Wales one too. I will also create a report for Northern Ireland if and when my NI data justifies it.    

Background 

Since 1^st January 2020 I’ve kept a record of 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.

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 use the term ‘work-ready’ because academic qualifications alone are never enough to compete successfully for a higher or degree apprenticeship. A UCAS points score of 112 is the most frequently quoted minimum entry requirement for DAs (sometimes more and often less), but 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. For that reason and others my reports always come with flaws, caveats and some editorial licence. However, I think the analyses I’ve built up paint a unique, intriguing and representative picture of what’s out there in a changing post-18 career landscape, as well as conveying a fairly realistic sense of comparative scale from both an occupational and regional perspective. 

Headline data

In England during the latest period from 23^rd to 29^th October 2023 I recorded:

• 136 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 6/7) and
• 90 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 4/5)
• giving a total of 226 for the week

In the 200 weeks from 1^st January 2020 to 29^th October 2023 I’ve now recorded:

• 27,755 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
• 22,519 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
• giving a total of 50,274

The average weekly totals across all 200 weeks have been:

• 139 DAs + 112 HAs = 251 average weekly total 

Updated analysis by county and region

By county (loosely defined) the 50,274 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since January 2020 have been distributed as follows:

• Greater London (11,756)
• Yorkshire (4,480)
• West Midlands (3,231)
• Greater Manchester (2,882)
• Bristol & Gloucestershire (2,357)
• Hampshire (1,727)
• Berkshire (1,662)
• Hertfordshire (1,254)
• Surrey (1,174)
• Cheshire (1,060)
• Tyne & Wear (992)
• Nottinghamshire (963)
• Derbyshire (952)
• Cambridgeshire (947)
• Sussex (912)
• Merseyside (836)
• Essex (824)
• Suffolk (785)
• Devon (757)
• Lancashire (732)
• Buckinghamshire (700)
• Somerset & South Bristol (664)
• Dorset (657)
• Cumbria (653)
• Kent (650)
• Warwickshire (642)
• Staffordshire (600)
• Leicestershire (598)
• Oxfordshire (598)
• Wiltshire (592)
• Bedfordshire (533)
• County Durham (478)
• Northamptonshire (419)
• Cornwall (397)
• Norfolk (376)
• Worcestershire (375)
• Lincolnshire (348)
• Shropshire (308)
• 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:

• 11,756   London (1,078,600: 10.90)
•   5,424   South West (645,800: 8.40)
•   5,211   West Midlands (720,900: 7.23)
•   7,491   South East (1,040,500: 7.20)
•   6,163   North West (884,600: 6.97)  
•   4,719   East of England (685,300: 6.89)
•   4,494   Yorkshire & The Humber (670,800: 6.70)
•   3,202   East Midlands (593,700: 5.39)
•   1,619   North East (313,000: 5.17)
•        75   Remote-working
•      120   Not specified

• 50,274   Total England (6,633,200: 7.58)

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 and they raise a few questions about ‘levelling up’ too. 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 27,755 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:

4,601 Accountancy/Tax/Audit/Assurance Professionals

4,496 Police Constables 

2,875 Digital Technology Solutions (General) *see below for details

1,516 Chartered Surveyors (843 Quantity Surveyors, 368 Project Managers, 171 Building Surveyors, 62 Building Control Surveyors, 43 Rural Surveyors, 29 Geospatial Surveyors)

1,335 Chartered Business Managers/Consultants

1,178 Software Engineers/Developers

1,070 Civil Engineers

  789 Project Managers (General)

  762 Nurses (593 Adult, 124 Mental Health, 37 Learning Disability, 8 Child) 

  752 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

  531 Electrical/Electronic Engineers

  457 Design & Development Engineers

  413 Manufacturing Engineers

  410 Nuclear Engineers  

  395 Supply Chain Leaders

  386 Banking/Financial Services/Investment Professionals

  351 Food & Drink Technologists/Manufacturers

  336 Building Services Engineers

  318 Cyber/Information Security Professionals

  317 Solicitors

  314 Aerospace Engineers

  298 Digital Marketing Professionals

  283 Professional Economists

  265 Sales Professionals

  255 Laboratory Scientists

  239 Retail Leaders

  204 Environmental Practitioners

  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)   

  161 Railway/Rail Systems Engineers

  159 Construction Site Managers

  132 Operating Department Practitioners (NHS)

  116 Automation & Control Engineers   

  108 Electro-Mechanical/Mechatronic Engineers

  100 Project Controls Professionals

    93 Occupational Therapists

    91 Digital User Experience (UX) Designers   

    91 Radiographers (53 Diagnostic, 38 Therapeutic)   

    86 Materials Science Technologists/Engineers     

    76 Hotel/Hospitality Chartered Managers 

    75 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

    68 Podiatrists

    66 Creative Digital Designers    

    61 Chemical Engineers   

    56 Town Planners

    54 Clinical Trials Specialists

    52 Packaging Professionals 

    51 Broadcast/Communication/Media Systems Engineers

    47 Social Workers 

    43 Human Resources Professionals  

    41 Environmental Health Officers

    40 Manufacturing/Production Managers (non-food)

    39 Architectural Technologists (Design & Construction)

    38 Transport Planners    

    35 Weapons Munitions & Explosives Engineers

    32 Recruitment Professionals    

    30 Public Health Practitioners

    27 Physiotherapists

    26 Architectural Assistants

    26 Journalists   

    25 Marketing/Brand Managers

    23 Geotechnical Engineers

    19 Fire Safety Engineers

    18 Insurance Professionals

    15 Forestry Professionals

    13 Environmental Engineers

    13 Midwives

    13 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 Orthotists/Prosthetists

      3 TV Production Managers

      2 Licensed Conveyancers

      2 Lighting Designers

      2 Pensions Professionals

      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 Population Health Intelligence Analyst

      1 Robotics Engineer

      1 Service Designer      

      1 Sonographer 

*DAs in Digital Technology Solutions (DTS) open up a wide range of roles. Some vacancies specify the role, while others are flexible. 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 and Data Engineers for the purposes of my reports). Meanwhile, those DAs listed as Digital Technology Solutions (General) are either flexible 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 106 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, Technology 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 22,519 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: 

1,915 Sales Executives

1,512 Accounting Technicians

1,498 Software Developers 

1,467 Data Analysts

1,357 Project Management Associates

1,097 Sports Coaches (Children & Young People)   

  735 Nursing Associates (Adult/Elderly/Mental Health/Learning Disability)

  679 Construction Site Supervisors

  635 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians 

  590 Quantity Surveying Technicians  

  572 Taxation Technicians

  568 Network Engineers

  564 Business Analysts  

  441 Cyber Security Technologists

  412 Software Testers

  410 Commercial Procurement & Supply Practitioners

  401 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

  370 Civil/Site Engineering Technicians

  311 Building Services Engineering Technicians

  311 Social Care Practitioners (Adults/Children/Families/Young People)  

  304 Investment Operations Specialists

  284 Insurance Practitioners  

  281 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technicians

  277 Buying & Merchandising Assistants

  255 Retail Managers  

  251 Healthcare Assistant Practitioners (150 Reablement, 69 Multidisciplinary, 12 Diagnostic Imaging, 5 Podiatry, 5 Speech Therapy, 3 Continuing Healthcare, 3 Intensive Care, 2 Dietetic Speech & Language, 1 Occupational Therapy, 1 Stroke Rehabilitation)

  251 Technician Scientists

  231 DevOps Engineers

  230 Marketing Executives

  224 Junior Management Consultants

  199 Construction Design & Build Technicians

  195 Police Community Support Officers

  195 Policy Practitioners

  191 Early Years Lead Practitioners

  183 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

  174 Regulatory Compliance Officers

  150 Healthcare Science Associates/Technicians (60 Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers, 31 Medical Engineering, 16 Cardiac Physiology, 14 Genetics, 11 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 5 Mammography, 4 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

  125 Food Technology/Manufacturing Technicians 

  122 Quality Assurance Practitioners

  114 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners 

  109 Hospitality Managers

    95 Nuclear Technicians  

    88 Internal Audit Practitioners

    87 Automotive Engineering/Propulsion Technicians

    80 Intelligence Analysts

    74 Journalists   

    73 Recruitment Consultants

    71 Actuarial Technicians

    66 Brewers 

    65 Financial Paraplanners   

    64 Vehicle Damage Assessors     

    63 Automation & Controls Engineering Technicians

    57 Revenues & Welfare Benefits Officers    

    55 Applications Support Leads

    55 Operations Managers   

    52 Audiovisual Technicians

    51 Learning & Skills Practitioners/Mentors   

    46 Market Research Executives

    43 Dairy Technologists

    42 Business Improvement Practitioners 

    37 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

    34 Information Managers 

    32 BEMS Controls Engineers (Building Energy Management Systems)

    32 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

    31 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives Technicians

    30 Air Traffic Controllers   

    25 Engineer Surveyors

    24 Estate Agency Negotiators

    24 Paralegals

    23 Countryside Rangers

    21 Land Referencers 

    19 Acoustics Technicians

    17 Digital Community Managers

    16 Digital Accessibility Specialists

    15 Fibre Cable Engineers

    15 Smart Energy Engineers

    12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

    11 Engineering Maintenance Technicians

    11 Facilities Managers

    11 Film/TV Post-Production Technical Operators

    11 Gymnastics Coaches

    11 Hygiene Specialists

    10 Employability Practitioners

    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 Outdoor Education/Adventure Sports Specialist

      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 Digital Product Manager

      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 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, 29/10/2023